Delta Air Lines plans job cuts

Delta Air Lines plans to cut its operations by up to 20% and announce redundancies next week.

It follows a drop in passenger numbers since the US terrorist attacks.

It says extra cash from the US Congress won't be enough to stop the job cuts.

According to Delta's website, the Atlanta-based carrier has about 80,000 employees.

Delta president Fred Reid told staff : "We have absolutely no alternative to the heartbreaking requirement of reducing employee costs and head count in order to stabilize our company and permit it to have a reasonable future.

"The actions we take in the next six months will have a dramatic impact on our future."

Congress and the White House have agreed a £10.2bn plan to bolster the US airline industry.

The House is set to approve the package later today and the Senate is expected to swiftly follow suit.