ATLANTA, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it will cut 6,000-7,000 jobs, close its Dallas hub, and may file Chapter 11 bankruptcy by month's end.
Delta chief executive Gerald Grinstein said the airline needs pay and benefit concessions and new agreements with creditors to avoid filing bankruptcy in the next few weeks. The number of pilots seeking early retirement is also putting a financial strain on the airline, Grinstein said.
Delta said it would eliminate the jobs over the next 18 months. Another planned cost-cutting measure is to boost passenger flight bookings on delta.com by 50 percent.
Delta said it will increase flights from its Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City hubs. It also plans to add planes to its low-cost Song division, improve its frequent flyer rewards program and rework its flight scheduling to make it more efficient.
