US-based Delta Air Lines has awarded a 4% base pay increase for its 80,000 global employees, effective from 1 October 2019.
The pay increase, announced via an internal memo from the organisation’s chief executive officer, Ed Bastian (pictured), will see all hourly-paid ground and flight attendant staff worldwide receive a 4% increase to their base pay, across all pay bands. This excludes international employees who are covered by an industry, government or collective bargaining agreement.
Global salaried staff, referred to internally as merit employees, will participate in a merit pool to receive a pay rise of up to 4%.
Bastian additionally confirmed that the organisation’s Profit Sharing Day, an annual event on 14 February during which Delta Air Lines shares a percentage of its profits with eligible employees, promises to award larger bonus payments in 2020 compared to 2019.
In February 2019, Delta Air Lines paid its staff $1.3 billion (approximately £1.1 billion) on Profit Sharing Day, equating to a bonus award worth 14% of employees’ annual salary.
Bastian said in his letter to staff: “I want to thank every member of the Delta family for [their] incredible dedication and professionalism during the busiest travel season in Delta’s history.
“Because of the success [they] continue to create, I’m happy to announce a 2019 pay increase, effective October 1. In addition, we expect this year’s Profit Sharing Day will be even better than last year’s.
“We know we pushed the operation and our teams harder than expected this summer. Just as important as [the] pay [rise], we need to make additional investments to improve the tools and resources needed to deliver an even better product and service for our customers. We will be making the needed investments to improve a range of areas, including staffing, catering, equipment and frontline leadership development among others.”
