I think a lot of this is tied to perception. I’ve mentioned it before, but after 9/11, carriers had to convince a skittish public it was safe to fly. Same story today (albeit for very different reasons). Will this translate into an sort of durable loyalty? Time’ll tell, I guess. DL has worked to brand itself as a lifestyle and luxury brand (much like Apple has done), so maybe?
BTW, they didn’t just name an exec to the Cleanliness spot- they stood up an entire new division.
I can say that management is taking employee health/wellness seriously right now. Maybe it’s altruistic, probably not. Either way, this might be the first time in 20+ years where there are no questions asked when people call off. I hope that’s permanent.