Having already slashed fares for the summer travel season, Delta Air Lines likely won't have trouble luring back travelers who shied away from the carrier because of a possible pilots' strike, industry analysts said yesterday. Still, that won't necessarily mean travelers will see fares discounted any further, they added. Delta and its 9,800 pilots have been trying to agree on a new contract for 19 months. Analysts said fliers who were avoiding Delta likely will return without much prodding, although they can expect to get some encouragement from the airline. Whether that includes any serious discounts in airfares is questionable.
Airfares are pretty low already for people who go shopping.
Delta spokesman Russ Williams declined to discuss specific plans, but said the airline is ready to welcome customers back. We were confident that we would reach an agreement and avoid a strike. We're pleased that that has been the case, and we would encourage customers to continue to book with us. How Delta would come in and offer anything cheaper, I don't know. Delta may have to make some gesture to business travelers, who have cut back as the economy worsens and may have been avoiding Delta because of the strike threat, Parsons said.