Delta Air LinesAccording to CEO Ed Bastian, approximately 85,000 of 75,000 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 during the last 4 weeks. This absence caused financial problems that hampered company finances in a holiday season.

Delta announced a quarterly loss, and projected another one for the first three-months of this year due to fast-spreading the omicron variant. But it predicted that travel would rebound in February.

Between Christmas Eve and January 1, more than 21,000 U.S. flights were cancelled due to omicron infection. United AirlinesOn Monday, CEO Scott Kirby stated that 3,000 of the close to 70,000 U.S. workers were supportive for Covid.

In the last few days, flight cancellations have decreased in significant numbers. Delta claims that the operation has stabilized since Thursday. Only 1% were cancelled over the past week due to omicron.

Bastian, a CNBC “SquawkBox” interviewer said that the employees who were positive for testing had “no major health problems”.

Delta changed its sick-leave policies for employees with Covid-19 in late 2013. It now provides five days’ pay for those who are positive, plus two more days for anyone who is negative on the fifth. Staff previously had 10 days paid vacation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for Covid quarantining and halved its recommended time limit to just five days.

Delta, along with other airlines, had urged CDC officials to implement the change.

Delta’s policy was criticized by America’s largest flight attendant union. President of the Association of Flight Attendants, Sara Nelson, tweeted that Delta was telling its workers that anyone with symptoms should go to work regardless of whether someone else in the house has tested positive. Positive workers are told that they should “come to work within 5 days of a fever below 100.9” even if it is still positive.

Delta published a cease-and-desist letterThe union is trying to organize Delta’s flight attendants.

Bastian defended Bastian’s policy, claiming that it was based upon CDC guidance.