Delta Threatens to Sell Comair Planes

As voting began, Delta Air Lines Inc. threatened to shift or sell aircraft from its Comair commuter carrier if the unit’s 1,400 striking pilots don’t vote to accept a settlement offer. If the six-week strike continues, the airline would act to protect its interests and customers, Delta President Fred Reid said at a news conference in Cincinnati, Comair’s hometown.

Comair, the second-largest commuter airline after AMR Corp.’s American Eagle, has accepted the offer the National Mediation Board proposed May 4. Leaders of the Air Line Pilots Assn. declined to endorse the offer before sending it to pilots for a vote that will be counted Saturday. Shares of Atlanta-based Delta fell 38 cents to $45.78 on the New York Stock Exchange.