Delta Air Lines has managed to avoid furloughs but is now asking more employees to take unpaid leaves of absence, a sign of the deepening slump in air travel as coronavirus cases increase across the United States.
CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday that Delta will need takers for its unpaid-leave program “for the foreseeable future.”
“I ask everyone to consider whether a voluntary leave makes sense for you and your family,” he said in a memo to employees.
With revenue down sharply, Delta expects to lose up to $12 million a day on average during the fourth quarter.
Unlike American Airlines and United Airlines, which furloughed a combined 32,000 workers in October, Atlanta-based Delta avoided furloughs by convincing thousands of workers to retire early or take unpaid leave.
