Delta said Wednesday that it earned $652 million in the second quarter. Without $1.5 billion in federal pandemic relief and other one-time events, the Atlanta airline would have posted an adjusted loss of $678 million. Business and international travelers are still mostly absent, however, and both are crucial for Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines. Delta estimates it was 40% of normal in the second quarter, up from 20% in the first quarter, and Bastian expects it will hit 60% in September. With a smaller workforce, Delta cut its labor and profit sharing costs by 36%, or more than $1 billion.

Source: ABC News July 14, 2021 11:31 UTC