Delta Announces Plans To Furlough Nearly 2,000 Pilots By October

ATLANTA, GA — Delta Air Lines announced Monday that it plans to furlough nearly 2,000 pilots this October, according to several news reports.

The internal memo explains that the call was made after the significant travel decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reported WSB.

Employees have been asked to take early retirements and buyouts as a way to avoid the furloughs. The Atlanta based airline had even asked ground workers and headquarter employees to take unpaid leave and reduced pay .

“We are six months into this pandemic and only 25 percent of our revenues have been recovered,” said John Laughter, Delta’s senior vice president of flight operations in a memo to pilots, which was seen by CNBC, reported NBC News. Laughter said the airline doesn’t expect a quick turnaround in demand.

In July Delta said the company was experiencing a $5.7 billion net loss for the second quarter.