This week’s Airline Weekly (subscription only) interviews Delta CEO Ed Bastian. Delta doesn’t order new Boeing aircraft, but argues that foreign competition is bad for US jobs.
Despite a path towards declaring victory and going home in their fight against Gulf airline rivals, Bastian pushes back on criticisms over Delta’s purchase of subsidized Bombardier C-series jets by calling out Boeing for their willingness to sell planes to the Gulf carriers.
Boeing, which has lobbied the trade case against Bombardier, is the principal arms dealer to the Middle Eastern carriers, to these subsidized carriers….
(Emphasis mine.)
Emirates Boeing 777
Bastian’s predecessor, who began the campaign for protectionism against Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar, wrapped the cause in 9/11 despite partnering with Saudia, an airline backed by a government that was at a minimum complicit in the 9/11 attacks.
“It’s a great irony to have the United Arab Emirates from the Arabian peninsula talk about that given the fact that our industry was really shocked by the terrorism of 9/11 which came from terrorists from the Arabian peninsula that caused us to go through a massive restructuring.”
Delta has continued to employ racist rhetoric in their campaign for the US government to hand their shareholders greater profits at the expense of consumers.
And now he calls out Boeing’s commercial aircraft division as an ‘arms dealer’ selling weapons to Qatar, Emirates and Etihad. Wow.
Who cares what this guy says?
The only one who thinks these clowns are smart is IAHPHX anyway
I am sure he will find a way to say that this guy is right and that american jobs matter only if those are delta jobs and not
Boeing or fedex
If DL bought more jets from Boeing instead of Bombardier and Airbus, they wouldn’t have this problem
Delta is out of their mind.
He is mimicking the way Trump talks. Hey, it worked for Trump. And most of the DL officers supported Trump. Doesn’t surprise me at all!
Well that confirms it he really is “Tricky Dick’s ” boy !
Like Fake News it’s all BS but then look who he learned from.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find “U.S. Sold $33 Billion in Weapons to Gulf Countries in the Last Year”
and Boeing is a top supplier.
Google is your friend.
@iv – but the claim here is that Boeing is an arms dealer not these AIRLINES, Boeing planes are their WEAPONS against Delta.
“Dig a little deeper and you’ll find “U.S. Sold $33 Billion in Weapons to Gulf Countries in the Last Year”
and Boeing is a top supplier.
Google is your friend.”
Shut the f up. Do you think these are arms length transactions? These are dictated and controlled by US Govt policy. So what does that have to do with aircraft division? Google is your enemy, buddy.
Delta’s board ought to be alarmed when the CEO is at war with a crucial supplier in an industry that is barely an oligopoly. THAT said, Boeing ought to clean sheet a plane now and again instead of selling distended 737’s that need 10k ft of runway.
This
Terrorist attacks are the big issue in the world that need to be resolved by taking some strict steps towards them…
Bastian is an immature, hypocritical baby.
Us trade orga unanimously agreed the series c tarriff was unjustified and bombardier will be building it in alabama seems like us jobs to me
I am getting so tired of folks throwing up false facts about who supported Donald Trump like @Don in ATL. With 2 seconds of research you would find articles about who supported Clinton Vs. Trump in the last election. Fact is that many travel executives like the CEO at Delta are strong Democrat supporters, while ironically might explain this even better.
https://skift.com/2016/08/31/a-landslide-for-clinton-over-trump-in-travel-industry-campaign-contributions/
for example shows this. Stating “Delta Air Lines’ former CEO Richard Anderson has contributed $353,400 to the pro-Hillary Clinton Hillary Victory Fund superPAC. He also sent $33,400 to the Democratic National Committee.
During the last election cycle, Anderson only supported Republican-leaning PACs and Congressional candidates, according to records.
Delta’s chief revenue officer Glen Hauenstein has sent $2,700 so far to Hillary for America.
Bret Hart, United Airlines’ general counsel, has sent $2,700 to Hillary for America.
Newly named American Airlines president Robert Isom has given $2,700 to Hillary for America and $1,000 to Cruz for President, Ted Cruz’ campaign group.”
delta exec’s ,of course, supported the DNC and Hillary ..read the SKY magazine…all liberal support in articles!!!!!