Delta CEO asks employees to take more unpaid leave in 2021 as industry continues to struggle

Delta's CEO on Wednesday asked employees to sign up for more unpaid leave with a slump in travel to continue into 2021. “Our voluntary unpaid leave program will continue to be essential to positioning Delta for the recovery, and we will need participants for the foreseeable future,” Ed Bastian said in a note to staff. “I ask everyone to consider whether a voluntary leave makes sense for you and your family.” Executives at Delta and other airlines in recent weeks have warned about a slowdown in bookings as Covid-19 infections rose, making it more challenging to trim its cash burn. The TSA said it screened 501,513 people at US airports on Tuesday, the fewest since July 4 and about a quarter of the 1.9m people the TSA screened a year ago. Bastian said despite Christmas and New Year’s Eve being a few weeks away, demand would likely climb to just about a third of last year’s levels. He said he expects a rebound in air travel in the spring after Covid vaccinations ramp up. More than 40,000 Delta employees have opted for unpaid leaves of absence at the company’s urging. Roughly 18,000 accepted buyouts and early retirement packages, cutting Delta’s pre-pandemic head count by about 20%.<br/>