Delta Air Lines Inc will need at least 3,000 of its roughly 20,000 flight attendants to take unpaid leave of four to 12 months, or consider other options, to avoid involuntary furloughs due to weak air travel, CNBC reported on Friday.
US airlines are struggling with overstaffing as the coronavirus pandemic crushes air travel demand. Airlines are forced to initiate a round of voluntary offers and warnings that an industry recovery will be slow, forcing them to downsize.
Atlanta-based Delta last month reported a 91 per cent plunge in second-quarter revenue and a $3.9 billion adjusted pre-tax loss.
The airlines had in a memo told pilots it would avoid furloughs if they agreed to reduced guaranteed minimum pay.
About 17,000 workers at Delta, which had more than 91,000 employees in 2019, opted for buyouts and over 45,000 are taking varying short-term unpaid leaves.
Delta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.