In addition to the significant efforts under way to protect the health and safety of its customers and employees, Delta Air Lines is announcing additional steps to address the financial impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.
“In the weeks since COVID-19 emerged, Delta people have risen to the challenge, taking every possible action to take care of and protect our customers during a stressful time,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian.
“As the virus has spread, we have seen a decline in demand across all entities, and we are taking decisive action to also protect Delta’s financial position. As a result, we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to immediately reduce capacity and are implementing cost reductions and cash flow initiatives across the organization.”
Bastian added, “Over the last 10 years, we’ve transformed Delta by strengthening the balance sheet, diversifying our revenue streams and enhancing operational and financial flexibility. The environment is fluid and trends are changing quickly, but we are well positioned to manage this challenge and are taking actions to ensure that Delta maintains its leadership position and strong financial foundation.”
Capacity
To align capacity with expected demand, Delta is reducing system capacity by 15 points versus its plan, with international capacity reduced by 20-25 percent, and domestic capacity reduced by 10-15 percent. The company will continue to make adjustments to planned capacity as demand trends change.
By region, reductions include:
| Entity | % of Total FY19 Revenue | Capacity Reductions |
| Pacific | 6% | Down 65% |
| Trans-Atlantic | 15% | Down 15-20% |
| Domestic | 72% | Down 10-15% |
| Latin | 7% | Down 5% |
Expenses
Delta is undertaking cost reduction initiatives, including:
- Instituting a company-wide hiring freeze and offering voluntary leave options
- Parking aircraft, and evaluating early retirements of older aircraft
In addition, the recent fuel price decline provides approximately $2 billion of full-year expense benefit.
