Delta sees no sign of recovery in market

Delta Air Lines sees no sign of an end to the slump in the US air-travel market, chief executive Mr Leo Mullin said today.

I remain relatively pessimistic in the near term Mr Leo Mullin, chief executive Delta Air Lines

"I remain relatively pessimistic in the near term, defined as through the end of this year," Mr Mullin said in an interview a week after the company reported a $123 million second-quarter loss.

"I see neither a worsening nor an improvement," he added. "We might be on the bottom but what I don't see is the turn."

The downturn in the US economy has hit airlines particularly hard, since businesses have sharply cut back their travel budgets.

Mr Mullin was in Rome for the formal entry of Alitalia into the Skyteam airline alliance.