Delta may avoid furloughs after demand for buyouts

Delta may be able to avoid involuntary furloughs in the fall after receiving interest from more than 15,000 employees for early buyout packages, one person with knowledge of the matter said, even as other US airlines are sounding the alarm on jobs. Delta is among large US airlines that have been trying to encourage workers to leave voluntarily before a government ban on forced job cuts expires on Sept. 30, when they warn they must shrink given depressed demand in the coronavirus pandemic. The deadline for most Delta employees to accept early departure or early retirement packages was Monday. Delta, which is due to present Q2 results on Tuesday, declined to comment. Because labour contracts require airlines to furlough in reverse order of seniority, those that can encourage more senior people to leave could have generally lower labour costs as they brace for a slow rebound. <br/>