Delta Air Lines raises first pay rise since pandemic began by 4%

Delta Air Lines is giving most of its employees a 4% pay rise — the first pay rise employees have received since the COVID-19 pandemic brought global air travel to a halt.

Ed Bastian, the airline’s top boss, told employees they would receive a pay rise in a company-wide memo on Thursday – noting that the Georgia-based company “has come a long way since the darkest days of 2020.” have.

“This well-deserved base salary increase for eligible and deserving employees worldwide is a direct result of the dedication, hard work and excellence you demonstrate every day,” said the Delta’s CEO told employees.

The pay increases will take effect on May 1 and will apply to about 75,000 employees, a Delta spokeswoman told Reuters. Pilots and some senior executives are not eligible for the increases.

Earlier this year, Delta executives said they expect the airline to post a loss in the first fiscal quarter of 2022, due in part to the surge in Omicron variants that disrupted the airline industry’s recovery. However, the company expects to achieve profitability for the full year.

Bastian confirmed this outlook in his employee announcement. He said Delta is forecasting “a profit for the month of March” and seeing “healthy demand for spring and summer travel” as more corporate offices reopen.

“We remain optimistic about making profits this year,” added Bastian.

Most recently, Delta raised salaries for most of its employees in 2019, when it provided 4% increases in base salaries.

The increases were announced as Delta, other airlines and companies from various sectors struggled with nationwide labor shortages, although an airline spokesman said so Wall Street Journal that the hikes were not intended to increase employee retention or attract new employees.

Delta and other major US airlines received $54 million in congressional aid to keep payrolls going during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

With mail wires