Delta to Prioritize Global Expansion Over Domestic Transactions

Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said he’ll sit out consolidation in the US aviation market and instead focus on expanding abroad through partnerships, even as high fuel prices and a transaction-minded administration stand to shake up the domestic industry.

“If opportunities come your way, you’ll consider them, but we’re not going to be proactive,” Bastian said in an interview in New York on Monday. “Unless there is a significant business rationale that stands the test of time, it’s really hard to think of taking on such a meaningful change in business strategy just because there’s a window in Washington.”