Latest Airlines News

"TOKYO (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines, which merged with rival Northwest Airlines last year, said it expects to let about 2,000 staff go this month through an early retirement program as it aims to trim capacity as much as 8 percent this year.

In December, Delta, now the world's biggest carrier, said it would offer employees severance packages, but it didn't say how many jobs it aimed to cut.

"We are expecting a number of around 2,000 because the capacity reduction is going to be around 6 to 8 percent," Delta CEO Richard Anderson told reporters in Tokyo.

"We will know more toward the end of this month, because we gave employees a wide window so that they can make the right decision."

Major airlines, battered by sagging travel demand and losses on fuel hedging costs, have been working to bolster their profitability by cutting capacity and finding new revenue streams. Capacity reductions affect the number of seats for sale and are achieved by cutting flights or replacing large planes with smaller ones.

Delta said last month its domestic capacity would fall 8 percent to 10 percent in 2009, and international capacity would fall 3 percent to 5 percent as travel demand wanes. Systemwise, that would mean a reduction of 6 to 8 percent.

Delta told reporters on Thursday that it sees a 10 percent decline in industry revenue in 2009 as the economic slowdown hits travel demand.

The airline said, however, it expects to save $5 billion this year from the plunge in oil prices since last summer."

"Delta Airlines customers can now book convenient nonstop flights between Detroit Metro Airport and Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport for service beginning on June 4, 2009. Flight will make travel to the Eternal City more accessible through Detroit's 115 easy connections and will complement Delta's existing nonstop daily service between Rome and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and twice daily nonstop from New York's John F. Kennedy-JFK International Airport."

(Yahoo News)

Delta airlines announced that it will introduce 15 new international routes on next summer from united states to various destination. Delta recently takeover of Northwest to create the world's biggest airline by traffic. Due to weak domestic economy, targeting international routes are more profitable. Delta said it will add the more new international flights between the united States and Japan, Kenya, South Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic and Switzerland.

Delta Airline has changed their policies and fees for passenger traveling by southwest and delta. Delta has been removed $25 -$100 fuel surcharge. The Airlines also reducing fees charged when customers book tickets over the phone, from $25 to $20.The fee for redeeming skymiles or wordperks travel cover over the phone , from $25 to $20.From December 5, Delta will remove the $3 curbside check-in fee that was charged when passengers checked-in via skycaps.In addition, Delta is offering Coach Choice Seats on select flights.

Airlines news on Twitter

Delta Airlines is announcing the start of its first nonstop flight from Kuwait International Airport to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Saturday, 8 November.

Delta Air Lines will expand its service to the African continent with the introduction of the first and only flight between Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Monrovia’s Roberts International Airport, Liberia*. The service, which will make a stop at Amilcar Cabral International Airport on Sal Island, Cape Verde*, will start in June, 2009.

Passengers on the only flight between the U.S. and Liberia will benefit from significant time savings over other routes. They also will be able to connect to more than 150 destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean via Delta’s Atlanta hub.