Delta Air Lines to cut 4,000 jobs

Delta Air Lines, based in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, is to cut 4,000 jobs. The number is twice what was planned earlier, in March 2008, when it offered voluntary retirement payouts to over half of its total workforce.

Delta Air Lines, the third-largest carrier in the United States, operates an extensive domestic and international network that spans North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. It is the only major United States-based airline that flies to Africa.

An official of Delta Air Lines was quoted by the website washingtonpost.com as saying: “Around 4,000 people have taken the separation package, and Delta will accept all the volunteers. The employees are from the mainline airline and Delta’s information technology subsidiary. Most will leave the company in the fall.”

Delta Air Lines had said in a statement on March 18, 2008, that it would offer voluntary severance payouts to about 30,000 employees and that the company’s target was to cut 2,000 frontline, administrative and management jobs through the severance programme, attrition and other initiatives.

The carrier had said that it would accept more job cuts if over 2,000 employees took voluntary severance.

According to the Delta Air Lines official, one part of the severance programme was for employees who were already eligible for retirement, or for those whose age and years of service added up to at least 60, with 10 or more years of service. The other part of the programme was an “early-out” offer for frontline employees, like flight attendants and gate and ticket agents, having 10 or more years of service and for administrative and management employees with one or more years of service.

As of the end of 2007, Delta Air Lines had on its rolls a total of 55,044 full-time employees.

In an effort to cope with record-high costs of aviation fuel, many major airlines recently announced that they are reducing domestic capacity, putting off orders to buy new aircraft, or cutting jobs.

According to media reports, the major airlines in the United States have already trimmed 10,300 jobs since the end of May 2008. More cuts are expected.

Delta Air Lines had announced recently that it wanted to merge with Northwest Airlines in a $3.9-billion deal. Northwest Airlines Incorporated, the principal subsidiary of Northwest Airlines Corporation, is headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, the United States.

If the merger takes place, Delta Air Lines is expected to become the world’s biggest carrier.