Delta Pilots May Have Had Enough

Urbik, a first officer who flies internationally on a Boeing 767, said his salary has fallen to $85,000 this year from $117,000 last year. His pension plan will likely be terminated, and he says his ability to provide for his five children will be threatened.

"To work this long and this hard and to go through this many hoops, only to be told that your skill is worth less than it was a year ago, it's not acceptable," he said.

John Roberts, an 18-year 737 captain, expects to earn about $75,000 less this year than last year. He said many Delta pilots are skeptical about making more concessions after already agreeing to huge pay cuts plus reductions in medical benefits, work-rule changes and anticipated pension reductions.

"Everyone thinks we've given enough," Roberts said. "We gave back last year, we're in the 55% to 60% reduction range, and we have members of management saying we have to give our fair share," he said. "It just kind of rubs guys the wrong way."

Meanwhile, a federal bankruptcy judge is expected to rule this week on a motion by Delta subsidiary Comair to reject its flight attendants' contract. The judge had been scheduled to rule Monday, but delayed a decision until an unspecified date, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

The roughly 1,000 flight attendants, who are members of the Teamsters' union, are in much the same position as the pilots were a week ago. They've said they will strike if their contract is thrown out.

Shortage of Trust

Still, reaching a tentative deal with the pilots is a big step forward for Delta, said aviation consultant Mike Miller of the Velocity Group.

"When an airline is doing something like negotiating a pilot contract, it requires the entire braintrust of the company," he said. "If they've done that, they can now focus on getting out of bankruptcy."