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Delta CEO: Airline 'gained a lot of fans' for NRA stance
By Eric Mandel
– Digital Producer , Atlanta Business Chronicle
Apr 12, 2018, 10:37am
Delta dealt with multiple storms in the last quarter, but CEO Ed Bastian said the company weathered them all and "gained a lot of fans" in the face of its biggest blast: cutting ties with the NRA.
Bastian spoke on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday about Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (NYSE: DAL) strong quarterly results, booking demands, rising jet fuel prices, and the company's decision to cut ties with the National Rifle Association following the Parkland, Fla. school shooting. (See video above)
Bastian was asked about his confidence in Georgia for businesses after Georgia legislature yanked a tax break on jet fuel sales that primarily benefits Delta following the company's decision in February to end its contract on discounted fares for NRA members. Bastian said he has "great confidence" in the state and Gov. Nathan Deal, much like the CEO did in a public memo released on March 2.
"We felt the state legislature was pushing us with respect to some of our business practices to a place we weren't comfortable going and we pulled back," Bastian told CNBC. "As I said in my note, we're not for sale and I think Georgia is a great place to center business. We affirmed in my note that we're going to stay headquartered here in Georgia. This is home, and it's always going to be home for Delta, as far as I'm concerned."
When asked about the impact on his business and advice he'd give to other companies taking these types of politcally charged positions, Bastian said:
"In my years in this industry, I've never seen a topic that's delivered as much emotion as this one. And I've received tens of thousands of emails on both sides of the issue. Over the last month on this, I'd say 75 percent, if not more, have been positive; have been supportive of the stance we take. People respect the fact that we make our own decisions and stand by them, and we're not selling out relative to political interest, and I think we gained a lot of fans."
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta...ceo-airline-gained-a-lot-of-fans-for-nra.html
By Eric Mandel
– Digital Producer , Atlanta Business Chronicle
Apr 12, 2018, 10:37am
Delta dealt with multiple storms in the last quarter, but CEO Ed Bastian said the company weathered them all and "gained a lot of fans" in the face of its biggest blast: cutting ties with the NRA.
Bastian spoke on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday about Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (NYSE: DAL) strong quarterly results, booking demands, rising jet fuel prices, and the company's decision to cut ties with the National Rifle Association following the Parkland, Fla. school shooting. (See video above)
Bastian was asked about his confidence in Georgia for businesses after Georgia legislature yanked a tax break on jet fuel sales that primarily benefits Delta following the company's decision in February to end its contract on discounted fares for NRA members. Bastian said he has "great confidence" in the state and Gov. Nathan Deal, much like the CEO did in a public memo released on March 2.
"We felt the state legislature was pushing us with respect to some of our business practices to a place we weren't comfortable going and we pulled back," Bastian told CNBC. "As I said in my note, we're not for sale and I think Georgia is a great place to center business. We affirmed in my note that we're going to stay headquartered here in Georgia. This is home, and it's always going to be home for Delta, as far as I'm concerned."
When asked about the impact on his business and advice he'd give to other companies taking these types of politcally charged positions, Bastian said:
"In my years in this industry, I've never seen a topic that's delivered as much emotion as this one. And I've received tens of thousands of emails on both sides of the issue. Over the last month on this, I'd say 75 percent, if not more, have been positive; have been supportive of the stance we take. People respect the fact that we make our own decisions and stand by them, and we're not selling out relative to political interest, and I think we gained a lot of fans."
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta...ceo-airline-gained-a-lot-of-fans-for-nra.html