Delta, American to Trim Capacity, Southwest CEO to Take Pay Cut--Update
11 March 2020 - 12:10AM
Dow Jones News
By Alison Sider
Airlines on Tuesday detailed the growing impact of the
coronavirus by cutting more flights in domestic and international
markets, parking planes, freezing hiring and reducing executive
pay.
American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. both said
they planned to reduce the number of flights across their networks
and Southwest Airlines Co. CEO Gary Kelly told employees that he
will take a 10% pay cut as the airline faces the most severe
downturn in decades due to the spread of the coronavirus.
The moves come as bookings have dropped off amid growing
passenger fears about traveling, and concerns that recovery could
take months, rather than the quick bounceback many had initially
anticipated when the virus first started to impact travel early
this year.
American said it plans to cut domestic flying by 7.5% by
decreasing frequencies in markets where it operates many flights.
It will reduce international flying by 10% for the summer peak
travel season
Delta said Tuesday that it will park some planes and reduce
capacity across its network, cutting international capacity as much
as 25 percent, and domestic capacity as much as 15 percent. Delta
also said it would freeze hiring and offer voluntary leave options,
in addition to deferring $500 million in capital expenditures and
suspending share buybacks. The carrier said it would consider
retiring some planes early.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said: "We have made the difficult but
necessary decision to immediately reduce capacity and are
implementing cost reductions and cash-flow initiatives across the
organization."
Mr. Kelly told employees in a video message Monday that was
viewed by The Wall Street Journal that the virus has created a
challenge more serious than any the industry has faced since 9/11,
"and it may be worse."
He said: "The velocity and the severity of the decline is
breathtaking."
Southwest had previously said the reduced bookings could result
in as much as $300 million in lost revenue in March alone.
The virus is testing airlines' ability to weather the kind of
economic crisis they have promised investors they could withstand
following a decadelong run of industry profits. While a sharp drop
in fuel prices is likely to relieve some pressure, carriers are
facing a global-demand shock that looks to be more severe than
anything they have encountered since 9/11.
American's reduction in domestic flights will include
cancellation of routes where customers can be easily rerouted. Some
domestic routes will get a boost, though, with bigger planes that
would have been used for international flying. Internationally, it
will trim service to destinations including Paris and Madrid. Latin
America, which had been the one relative haven for U.S. airlines'
international operations, will also see cuts, including American's
flights to Chile and Uruguay.
Top airline executives, including United President Scott Kirby,
American CEO Doug Parker, and Southwest's Mr. Kelly, are slated to
speak at JPMorgan's Aviation, Transportation, & Industrials
Conference Wednesday. The event, usually held in New York, will now
be held via teleconference.
All three airlines said fuel savings could be a silver lining
due to the oil price rout. American pegged the cost reduction at as
much as $3 billion in a presentation prepared for the
conference.
Write to Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 10, 2020 08:55 ET (12:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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