Delta Airlines chief executive officer Ed Bastian said the airline will need takers for its unpaid leave program in the face of increasing COVID infections, CNA reported Thursday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against travel during the holidays. Delta's cost-cutting is the latest from airlines as they brace for a grueling 2021.
"I ask everyone to consider whether a voluntary leave makes sense for you and your family," the chief executive said in a memo to staff. With sales falling the Atlanta-based carrier expects to shed an average of $12 million a day during the final quarter.
Bastian said Delta planned to hire back staff in positions like sales and customer care full time Jan. 1. Around 18,000 Delta employees have accepted retrenchment compensation this year - nearly a quarter of the company's pre-pandemic employment.
Bastian said despite the holidays a few weeks away demand would likely rise to about one-third only of 2019 levels. He expects air travel to normalize in the spring after COVID immunizations.
Unlike United and American Airlines, which placed 32,000 staff on temporary leave in October, Delta convinced thousands of employees to take unpaid leave or retire early.
The airline said it would continue to waive fees it normally charges passengers who want to change flights locally and internationally.
Delta announced it would extend an existing waiver that prevents passengers from having to pay $150 for local flight changes and $200 for international flight changes through March 30 for travel anywhere.
Meanwhile, other airlines are planning to cut costs next year in anticipation of the pandemic's continued effects JetBlue Airways told staff Wednesday it was considering suspending pay increases, paid parental leave and extending executive pay reductions through 2021, CNBC reported.
