Delta CEO on new nonstop route from Atlanta to Riyadh: “I believe it’s going to gain popularity quickly.”

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian discussed plans for a new direct route from Atlanta to Riyadh while speaking at the Fortune Global Forum.

Transcript

00:00Ed, just this morning, you all announced a new route from Atlanta to Riyadh.

00:05Why are you bullish on American consumers, quite frankly, being ready to come to Saudi?

00:11I know of my friends, I'm one of the first to be here.

00:15I think business in America is very ready to be here.

00:18But is really the American traveler, the American consumer, ready?

00:22They will be.

00:23And I imagine when you go back, as you have been here before, you tell them why you went.

00:28And you actually find areas of interest.

00:31What you see when you come to Riyadh, when you come to Saudi Arabia,

00:36is just an amazing display of development, of tourism, of opportunity.

00:44But beyond all of that, the thing I tell my friends that haven't been here from the States,

00:50it's the people.

00:51It's the people.

00:52Being here for the culture of the warmth, the hospitality that's authentic,

00:56that's embraced, Americans aren't quite sure, you know,

01:00given the historical tensions, geopolitical tensions, for example,

01:04or religious, you know, tensions in the past.

01:07And when you say that, yeah, it's actually one of the favorite places I've been to

01:12in a very long time, they're amazed.

01:15And you know what?

01:16They want to come.

01:16And when you see the development that's going on here in the country,

01:20Vision 2030 is such an important achievement and ambition for this kingdom.

01:27We want to be part of that.

01:29And yeah, it'll start slow.

01:31It's the first flight, first U.S. airline to have direct service.

01:34But I believe it's going to gain popularity quickly.