Non-stop services to Europe suspended
Delta Air Lines said it planned to make a further 10% cut in capacity as the recession and rising oil prices continued to bite.
The cuts include a further 5% drop in transatlantic capacity and the suspension of three routes to Europe.
These are the services from Cincinnati to Frankfurt and London Gatwick and the New York JFK service to Edinburgh.
The cuts will take effect form September.
In a joint statement to the carrier's 70,000 employees, Richard Anderson, the carrier's ceo, and Edward Bastian, its president, said industry passenger revenues had dropped by 20% this year while in the same period fuel prices have risen by a similar amount.
They said that with demand also softening because of the swine flu outbreak, there was a "difficult business environment."
They added: "These forces that are affecting the industry are creating significant headwinds for Delta.
"Declining revenues will overtake the more than $6bn in total benefits we expected this year from lower year-over-year fuel prices, merger synergies and capacity reductions."
The 10% cut in capacity, compared to 2008, included a 5% cut in international capacity.
This was in addition to a 15% cut in international capacity announced in March.
Mr Anderson and Mr Bastian, in their statement, said that demand for international travel had fallen "significantly."
As well as the European suspensions, Delta said it was also halting non-stop services from Atlanta to Seoul and Shanghai and reducing frequency on flights from Atlanta and Detroit to Mexico City.
The carrier said that on the Europe routes and those to the Far East, passengers would have the option of going via other Delta destinations or using services by SkyTeam partners.
Delta said that in the current environment its merger with Northwest Airlines "more sense than ever."
It added: "We will continue to accelerate our integration, as it gives us a competitive advantage and strengthens our financial foundation.
"We also will maintain tight controls on our costs and capital spending."
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