Delta Tells Where It Plans to Cut Jobs

Delta Air Lines Inc. released new details Friday on the as many as 6,900 jobs it planned to eliminate starting Jan. 1.

The airline will cut 1,500 to 1,800 administrative employees, 1,600 to 2,000 technical operations employees and 2,900 to 3,100 customer service workers, spokesman Anthony Black said.

The cuts will be carried out over 18 months. Employees in Dallas and Atlanta will be the most affected, Black said.

In September, Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein announced a plan that included cuts of as many as 7,000 jobs in an attempt to turn around the airline’s financial troubles. He also said then that the airline would get rid of its Dallas hub because of high fuel costs and competition by low-fare rivals.

Delta has lost more than $6 billion since early 2001 and has eliminated 16,000 jobs and cut the pay of other employees, including its executives.

The airline union’s 7,000 pilots are voting on a proposed agreement, reached by union leaders last week, that would cut their salaries by one-third to keep Delta out of bankruptcy.

Delta also has secured $500 million in financing from Commercial Finance, $600 million from a unit of American Express Co. and a pact to defer $135 million of its debt. However, those deals are conditioned on Delta’s achieving its cost-cutting goals.

Delta shares rose 12 cents to $6.15 on the New York Stock Exchange.