Delta Air Lines lost $5.7 billion in the second quarter, as the coronavirus pandemic crushed air travel. A hoped-for travel recovery that began slowly in mid-April has been smothered by a resurgence in US infections, especially in the South and West. Delta CEO Ed Bastian says growth in bookings has stalled. He says it was “growing at a pretty nice clip through June,” but so was the virus. Delta is the first U.S. airline to report financial results for the May-through-June quarter, and the numbers were ugly. The number of passengers tumbled 93% from a year earlier, revenue plummeted 88%, and the company’s adjusted loss was worse than expected.
