A U.S. bankruptcy court earlier today gave Delta Air Lines approval to emerge from its 18 months under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in light of the airline's $3-billion restructuring plan.
The airline reduced capacity on U.S. domestic routes and boosted international services since entering Chapter 11 in September 2005, and also cut about $1 billion in labot costs. Delta now forecasts a pre-tax profit of more than $800 million this year against a loss of more than $450 million in 2006.
Delta, which is lobbying to start transatlantic flights from Heathrow following the recent E.U.-U.S. "open skies" agreement, believes international expansion and lower costs will help it offset any domestic downturn in air travel.
Also this week, the airline became the first domestic one to help customers give back to the environment by buying trees to help offset carbon emissions associated with air travel. Delta made a donation to The Conservation Fund for every customer taking a Delta mainline or Delta Shuttle flight on Earth Day, April 22, and has pledged a commitment to plant a tree for each of the airline's 47,000 employees.
Further, as of June 1, customers who purchase a ticket online at Delta.com will have the option to contribute toward this effort too. Contributions of $5.50 for a domestic round-trip flight and $11 for an international round-trip flight will be used by The Conservation Fund to plant trees throughout the U.S. and abroad. A small portion of the donation also supports the organization’s education and outreach efforts.
Delta’s partnership with The Conservation Fund is the latest addition to "Delta’s Force for Global Good" – a program that unites Delta employees and customers in support of philanthropic and socially responsible efforts throughout the world.