Delta trims flights amid resurgent virus

Just one week after announcing it’ll add 1,000 flights in July, Delta Air Lines said Tuesday it’ll cut by half the flights it had planned to add in August. The carrier also warned that it’ll be more than two years before the industry sees a sustainable recovery.

Delta said the fresh wave of coronavirus cases and quarantines hurt the demand it had seen build up over June for travel to vacation destinations. CEO Ed Bastian told Reuters, “We’re at a stall right now.”

The airline also posted an adjusted quarterly loss of $2.8 billion. Passenger revenue nose-dived 94% in a season that some analysts call the worst in aviation history.

It slowed its daily cash burn in June, ending the month with almost $16 billion in liquidity.

Delta also said it may continue to block middle seats beyond September, unlike rivals American and United, which have added thousands of flights with all seats for sale. But it warned it can’t make money filling only three-fifths of its planes.

American and United report their results next week.