Show Delta struggles to remain in business due to fuel prices Vera Contributing Writing Fuel prices keep creeping up Many people have been concerned about the budget for their vehicle The large airlines such as Delta are no different from the rest of the country On March 18 Delta Airlines announced that due to the rising cost of fuel they are forced to make adjustments The Airline is planning to cut at least 2000 jobs decrease the number of domestic flights and increase the number of more more profitable international flights So far the plan is to extend buyout offers to approximately eligible employees including flight attendants ticket agents baggage handlers as well as managerial and administrative personnel The company is hoping that a sufficient number of its employees will accept the offer otherwise Delta will have to resort to layoffs In addition to the buyouts a the company offers its employees retirement plans bonuses and other benefits to help soften essentially job losses As of right now the company cant can't tell exactly how many Salt Lake- Lake based workers will loose their jobs Because we are offering bids to a number of employees we donot do donot donot not know how that will ultimately impact Salt Lake City said spokesperson Anthony Black You Vou would have to have your head in the sand if you dont don't realize Delta is hurting because of fuel costs I really believe Delta is helping helpin 3 us OJ by bv l giving us options rather than a mandatory furlough said Cindy Hanks a Salt Lake- Lake based flight attendant I haven't gotten an offer yet but I would consider accepting it it is better then just getting laid off said Natalie Graham former student and Delta employee Delta has had a significant cut in flights flight from the Salt Lake Airport So far they have canceled flights to 10 cities from Salt Lake The latest cities that have been cut off are Nashville Tenn Term and El Paso Texas Initially the company planned to cut one flight a day to total of 12 airports On Tuesday March 11 however they announced that more trims are to come No specific numbers have been given yet An expansion of international capacity has been planned by Delta Last April the same move saved the airline from bankruptcy This year they are planning to dedicate 40 percent of their capacity to international flights According to 10 Delta Airlines CEO Richard Anderson and Ed Bastian international fares are higher and will help the company to cover high fuel costs Also the planes that are no longer needed are going to be sold Rumors have been circulating about a possibility of a merge between Delta and Northwest Airlines The negotiations took place between the two companies but they have ended for now with the dispute concerning pilot seniority Although it has been almost certain before seniority issue became for now the deal breaker |