Airlines
Delta To Furlough Nearly 2,000 Pilots
As the U.S. government’s coronavirus relief act expires, Delta Air Lines moves to shed more cockpit crewmembers.
A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 takes off from Toulouse Blagnac Airport in France. (Photo: Delta Air Lines)
A Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900 takes off from Toulouse Blagnac Airport in France. (Photo: Delta Air Lines)

Delta Air Lines plans to furlough 1,941 pilots effective October 1 in the latest manifestation of the Covid-19 pandemic’s destructive influence on the airline industry. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Delta’s Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Master Executive Council characterized the action as a maneuver by management to force acceptance of involuntary concessions. Layoff protections for workers at airlines that accepted part of a $25 billion aid package under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act expire at the end of September, prompting Delta’s decision to address what it called an overstaffing situation.