Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines Inc. said that more than 2,100 employees had volunteered to accept buyout packages to leave the company as part of its latest job-cutting effort. Severance offers were made to a majority of the 75,000 employees of the airline's mainline operations, though pilots weren't eligible.

Delta Air Lines Inc. posted a fourth-quarter loss that exceeded analysts' estimates. Excluding one-time costs for fuel hedges and stock grants related to buying Northwest Airlines, the loss was $340 million, or 50 cents a share, Delta said. Revenue was $6.71 billion, which also trailed some projections. Delta was hurt when jet fuel prices fell in the second half of 2008 after it had locked in fuel contracts at higher rates. The airline plans to cut capacity by as much as 8% this year.

After a backlash from some of its elite fliers, Delta Air Lines Inc., the world's biggest carrier, has halted a program on Delta-operated aircraft that allowed customers to buy better seat assignments on certain flights. The Atlanta company in late October began offering coach customers the ability to move to a better seat location in their cabin for $5 to $25. Jeff Robertson, vice president of loyalty programs for Delta, said that some Medallion members of the carrier's frequent flier program were upset that their access to preferred seats without charge at the time of booking was restricted as a result of the new program.

U.S. airlines' on-time performance and baggage handling improved in September, though the carriers overall posted a higher rate of domestic cancellations compared with the same month last year, the Transportation Department said. Delta Air Lines Inc.'s regional subsidiary, Comair, had the worst on-time performance in September, and Hawaiian Airlines had the best.

Delta Air Lines Inc., the last U.S. full-fare carrier without a fee to check a traveler's first bag, will start charging $15 for the service as it works to boost revenue. The move takes effect Dec. 5, Delta said. Checking a second bag will cost $25, half the current rate. Atlanta-based Delta became the world's largest carrier by closing its purchase of Northwest Airlines Corp. last week. The fee reverses Delta's earlier plan to keep the first bag free and is among its initial moves to match Northwest's pricing for certain services.

Delta Air Lines Inc. has completed its $2.8-billion deal to acquire Northwest Airlines, creating the world's biggest carrier. The announcement marked a swift conclusion to the deal. Earlier in the day, the Justice Department granted antitrust approval, and a lawyer for 28 air travelers who had sued to block the deal said the parties had settled the case. The new Delta will be headquartered in Atlanta, and Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson will head the combined carrier, whose structure will take shape over the next 18 months.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said it will inspect the engines on its 132 Boeing 757 jetliners after one engine failed and another on an American Airlines plane developed cracks. The National Transportation Safety Board has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to order the inspections, citing "serious concerns that warrant immediate action by the FAA." As of Friday the FAA had not made a decision.

Northwest Airlines Corp., which has agreed to combine with Delta Air Lines Inc., will eliminate 2,500 jobs to counter record fuel costs. The reductions represent about 8.1% of the 31,000-person workforce at Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest, which said it would rely first on voluntary steps such as leaves to pare the number of dismissals. Northwest's move will boost industrywide job cuts to about 20,000 as U.S. carriers park 400 jets after an 86% surge in the price of jet fuel in the last year.

In another blow to passengers who use Los Angeles International Airport, Delta Air Lines said Thursday that it would discontinue nonstop service between 13 cities and LAX, including flights to Seattle, Portland and Phoenix. The flights to be halted are operated by ExpressJet Airlines under a contract that Delta said would end Sept. 1. Delta and ExpressJet agreed to terminate the contract because of high fuel costs and declining demand, according to Delta. The agreement does not affect ExpressJet's service at Ontario Airport, where the carrier operates under its own name.