The battle

against terrorism hit home Wednesday as Delta Air Lines announced that

more than 13,000 positions have to be cut by the end of the year.

Delta CEO Leo

Mullins said the layoffs will cut 16 percent from the company's work force,

which nearly matches the company's cutting of 15 percent of its routes.

Locally, Mullin

predicted that about 16 percent, or just over 2,000 jobs, would be eliminated

in Atlanta.

He said the

recently passed federal bailout program of $15 billion will help the airlines

in the short term, but ultimately the airlines will have to get the passengers'

confidence back before the industry achieves solid financial footing.

Delta will

first ask for voluntary leave from its employees, and then reevaluate

the situation Nov. 1 to determine how many involuntary cuts the company

will have to make.

"We can't

take any chances on the survival of Delta," he said.

All of the

cuts are supposed to be completed by Dec. 31, Mullin said, and the employees

who are separated will have a chance to rejoin the airline at a later

date if the fiscal situation improves.

Mullin said

the cuts in jobs will go across the board from pilots to customer service

representatives.

In response

to a question about the pilots' new contract that does not allow furloughs,

Mullin said there is a contingency in the contract that allows furloughs

in extraordinary circumstances.

Employees who

lose their jobs will receive a generous severance package, and Mullin

said this is the company's last resort and he does not relish the task.

"Delta's

people are Delta Air Lines," he said.

Mullins also

said he favors looking at the issue of arming pilots for extra security,

and said the company will announce a program in the next few days to encourage

people to fly to New York City.

Mullins was

encouraged by Sunday's activity, which saw more than 200,000 fly Delta.

Normally, 300,000 people a day fly on the airline.

The CEO did

say the airline plans to cut nearly 50 percent of its routes at New York's

JFK Airport, and would announce other routes at a later date.

Locally, many

Delta employees call the south side home, and the Fayette Chamber of Commerce

established Team Fayette to help residents deal with the layoffs.

The chamber

has established a hotline at 770-461-9983 for residents to obtain information

on everything ranging from state programs to child care and consumer credit

assistance.

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