Delta Will Slash 2K Jobs

Battered by skyrocketing fuel prices, Delta Air Lines will eliminate 2,000 jobs to cut costs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. With oil prices driving the airline’s fuel expenditures $900 million higher than expected, the carrier will offer buyouts to some 30,000 employees, aiming to cut 1,300 flight attendant and agent positions in addition to 700 administrative jobs, mostly through voluntary severance and hiring freezes.

The staffing cuts are intended to shave $550 million off annual operating costs. To save more money, the carrier will also cut domestic flights by 10% this year, which will result in grounding around 45 jets. Delta’s statement said nothing about the pending merger with Northwest Airlines. President Ed Bastian said the firm was open to consolidation, but that it had to be “the right deal.” (More Delta Air Lines stories.)