Delta flying route less traveled

Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson has a reputation as a bold and relentlessly competitive leader.

Now, he has chosen to fly solo with a move by Delta to leave the nation's leading airline trade association in a high-profile, heated dispute.

Anderson has increasingly contended that Delta shouldn't just be compared to other carriers and that its priorities may be from those of other airlines.

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi

He recently told employees, for example, that the company has had 185 days this year with no mainline flight cancellations, adding: “Our competitors in the U.S. probably look at that number and just wonder how we do it. Even if we tell them [how] they wouldn’t be able to do it.”

The low cancellation rate created tension with other carriers. Delta recently ditched a standard industry agreement with American Airlines that included terms to accommodate passengers on each other’s flights during flight cancellations.

Delta said American was sending its passengers to Delta at a five-to-one ratio and that the deal “was no longer mutually beneficial” given its own “industry-leading” performance.

ExploreClick here to read more about the backstory of Delta's departure from its industry trade group and other examples of how Delta is going it alone.

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