ATLANTA, Nov. 29, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines today announced plans to recall approximately 200 additional pilots in 2007. This latest recall expands on the approximately 250 previously furloughed pilots that have been recalled since June 2005.
"Delta pilots are key to our plan and the ongoing transformation of our international network and we are thrilled to be calling more of our people back to work," said Jim Whitehurst, Delta's chief operating officer. "By every indication, including this and other recent employee recalls, Delta's plan is working and we are on track."
"Flight Operations is very pleased to be recalling more of our pilots back to service at Delta. We look forward to further supporting the company's network restructuring and international expansion," said Captain Steve Dickson, vice-president of Flight Operations and a 757/767 Captain. "This is a very positive development and I am hopeful that we will be able to offer recall to all remaining pilots on furlough this year based on Delta's plans for international flying."
Much of the new flying is a result of the 2007 international expansion and Delta's planned acquisition of 13 Boeing 757 aircraft.
Delta also has assembled a team to oversee a revamped pilot hiring process should the need for new-hire pilots come to fruition after the completion of furlough recalls next year.
Earlier this month, Delta announced a recall of 700 maintenance professionals and 1,000 flight attendants. To date in 2006, Delta has announced the recalls of approximately 900 maintenance professionals and 1,200 flight attendants. In September, Delta announced its second pilot recall of 2006, with a total of approximately 130 pilots recalled this year. The company continues to hire in its Airport Customer Service and Reservations divisions.
Delta continues to make significant progress in all areas of its restructuring and remains focused on its plan to emerge from Chapter 11 during the first half of 2007 as a stand-alone carrier.
Delta Air Lines (Other OTC:DALRQ) offers customers service to more destinations than any global airline with Delta and Delta Connection carrier service to 290 destinations in 46 countries. With more than 70 new international routes added or announced in the last year, Delta is America's fastest growing international airline and is a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 28 trans-Atlantic destinations. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 400 weekly flights to 49 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 14,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 445 worldwide destinations in 92 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
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Statements in this news release that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections or strategies for the future, may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions, projections and strategies reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the actions and decisions of our creditors and other third parties with interests in our Chapter 11 proceedings; our ability to obtain court approval with respect to motions in the Chapter 11 proceedings prosecuted from time to time; our ability to develop, prosecute, confirm and consummate one or more plans of reorganization with respect to the Chapter 11 proceedings and to consummate all of the transactions contemplated by one or more such plans of reorganization or upon which consummation of such plans may be conditioned; risks associated with third parties seeking and obtaining court approval to terminate or shorten the exclusivity period for us to propose and confirm one or more plans of reorganization, to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee or to convert the cases to Chapter 7 cases; our ability to obtain and maintain normal terms with vendors and service providers; our ability to maintain contracts that are critical to our operations; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity to fund and execute our business plan during the Chapter 11 proceedings and in the context of a plan of reorganization and thereafter; our ability to comply with financial covenants in our financing agreements; labor issues, including possible strikes or job actions by unionized employees; our ability to implement our business plan successfully; the cost of aircraft fuel; our ability to terminate our defined benefit pension plan for pilots; funding obligations with respect to our defined benefit pension plan for nonpilots; interruptions or disruptions in service at one of our hub airports; our increasing dependence on technology in our operations; our ability to retain management and key employees; restructurings by competitors; accidents involving our aircraft; the effects of terrorist attacks; and competitive conditions in the airline industry. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could cause differences between actual results and forward-looking statements is contained in Delta's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its Form 10-K, filed on March 27, 2006, and its Form 10-Q, filed on Nov. 9, 2006. The risks and uncertainties and the terms of any reorganization plan ultimately confirmed can affect the value of our various pre-petition liabilities, common stock and/or other securities. No assurance can be given as to what values, if any, will be ascribed in the bankruptcy proceedings to each of these liabilities or securities. We believe that our currently outstanding common stock will have no value and will be canceled under any plan of reorganization we propose, and that the value of our various pre-petition liabilities and other securities is highly speculative. Accordingly, we urge that caution be exercised with respect to existing and future investments in any of these liabilities and/or securities. Investors and other interested parties can obtain information about Delta's Chapter 11 filing on the Internet at delta.com/restructure. Court filings and claims information are available at deltadocket.com. Caution should be taken not to place undue reliance on Delta's forward-looking statements, which represent Delta's views only as of Nov. 29, 2006, and which Delta has no current intention to update.