4,000 Employees Opt To Leave On Their Terms

They wanna to get out... perhaps while they still can. Delta Air Lines announced Monday 4,000 employees have taken voluntary buyouts announced earlier this year... twice the number initially forecast, and 1,000 more than the Atlanta-based airline reported just two weeks ago.

As ANN reported, Delta announced in March it would offer voluntary buyouts to some 30,000 workers, in order to trim its workforce in the face of capacity cuts and other cost reductions. Delta also announced plans to cut capacity by 11 percent, largely by grounding up to 90 aircraft.

The airline said at the time it hoped 2,000 workers would take them up on their offer.

Last month, the airline said 3,000 workers had already accepted the buyout package, reports The Detroit Free-Press. Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said Friday another 1,000 non-pilot workers had taken the deal.

The airline announced the buyouts one month before Delta formalized plans to acquire Northwest Airlines, pending regulatory approval. That likely added further impetus for some workers to leave the carrier, lest they be furloughed or fired outright when the two airlines join forces.

Following Delta's annual meeting on June 3, company president Ed Bastian added their may be more "incremental cuts" on top of those already announced.

FMI: www.delta.com