Delta warns of layoffs; asks for more unpaid leave from employees

ATLANTA (CBS46) -- Atlanta-based Delta Airlines notified the state of more than 800 possible layoffs despite approximately 20 percent of the company's workforce already leaving through buyouts or early retirement packages.

The WARN notice filed with the state of Georgia placed the number of possible layoffs at 816 with a separation date of October 1. No airline that took federal bailout money this year can layoff any workers until October 1, when thousands of airline workers may be out of work across the nation.

As the company continues to try to fight through a near-complete stoppage of travel over several months of 2020, thousands of employees have taken unpaid leave and made other sacrifices to help the company avoid mass layoffs at any point this year.

Still, according to CNBC, the company asked 3,000 flight attendants to take unpaid leave ranging from four to 12 months, or share schedules with other flight attendants or working alternating months, to avoid mass furloughs. Delta has previously said it has dropped cash burn to less than $30 million a day, but still needs more savings to come out of the pandemic as a leaner airline.