sky

Delta Air Lines is cutting some corporate jobs in an effort to cut costs as the industry grapples with higher expenses such as for fuel and labor. “While we’re not yet back to full capacity, now is the time to make adjustments to programs, budgets and organizational structures across Delta to meet our stated goals — one part of this effort includes adjustments to corporate staffing in support of these changes,” Delta said in a statement to CNBC on Wednesday. “These decisions are never made lightly but always with care and respect for our impacted team members and the Delta family.” Delta didn’t specify how many jobs it is cutting but a spokesman said that they are a “small adjustment” to corporate and management positions. Frontline workers like pilots, flight attendants and mechanics are not affected by the cuts, the spokesman said. Executives recently reported strong travel demand helping it more than cover costs. Delta posted a Q3 profit of $1.1b, up nearly 60% from a year earlier, but had warned higher costs had reduced its bottom line. “Growth is normalizing next year, and we expect operational reliability to continue to improve,” CFO Dan Janki said on an earnings call last month. “This will allow us to optimize how we run the airline, reducing operational buffers and driving out inefficiencies that have resulted from the intensity of the rebuild. Delta and other carriers hired thousands of workers as travel demand bounced back in the later stages of the pandemic. Atlanta-based Delta has about 100,000 employees, up from about 83,000 at the end of 2021. The airline had successfully encouraged thousands of employees to take buyouts during the pandemic when demand dried up. Airlines have more recently ramped up capacity, while demand has moderated, leading to lower airfare compared with last year. Some carriers, including Southwest, are now looking at slowing their capacity growth as bookings return to more traditional patterns.<br/>

Delta Air Lines said Wednesday that the pilot accused of threatening to shoot the plane’s captain during a flight no longer works for the airline, and federal officials say his authority to carry a gun on board was revoked. Jonathan J. Dunn was indicted Oct. 18 and charged with interfering with a flight crew over an incident that occurred during a flight in August 2022. The Transportation Department’s inspector general says Dunn, who was the first officer or co-pilot, threatened to shoot the captain after a disagreement over diverting the flight to take care of a passenger with a medical issue. “Out of respect for the ongoing aviation authority investigation of this incident, Delta will refrain from commenting on this matter but will confirm that this First Officer is no longer employed at Delta,” the airline said Wednesday. The brief indictment in federal district court in Utah said that Dunn “did use a dangerous weapon in assaulting and intimidating the crew member.”<br/>

Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday it would cancel its flights between Tel Aviv and New York through Nov. 21 amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. A host of airlines including Delta, United Airlines, and American Airlines have all temporarily halted direct flights to Israel. Delta had earlier said it would cancel all flights to Israel until Nov. 15 and American Airlines through Dec. 4. Georgia-based Delta also said on Wednesday booking was suspended earlier this month for flights between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and airports in Atlanta and Boston. All flights between these markets will be canceled from Nov. 1, Delta added. <br/>