Delta Air Lines to cut jobs, park jets

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NEW YORK, March 18 (UPI) -- Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday it will park jets and cut jobs in an effort to keep costs in check during an era of escalating fuel costs.

"We are committed to getting our costs out of the business," Delta President Ed Bastian said in New York in a meeting with investors. The Atlanta-headquartered airline said projected jet fuel costs are $900 million above its previous projection, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

Delta, the nation's third largest air carrier, will cut 2,000 jobs, mostly through attrition and offer severance payouts to 30,000 of the company's 50,000 employees, the newspaper said.

Bastian said the airline "will not have any involuntary furloughs of frontline employees."

The slowdown also affects aircraft. Delta said it would park as many as 45 jets in an effort to trim costs by as much as $550 million.