Delta Exploring Bankruptcy Financing

[cal04]

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) has begun arranging the financing it would need should it seek bankruptcy protection, The New York Times reported on Saturday. Citing ``people with direct knowledge of Delta's actions,'' the Times reported that Wall Street analysts, industry executives and finance experts said the troubled airline could seek the protection within weeks.

The Atlanta-based airline is holding the discussions with lenders including GE Commercial Finance, which provided restructuring money in 2004, the Times said, citing both airline employees and members of the financial community. It said GE Commercial declined to comment. The No. 3 domestic airline is also exploring selling or refinancing its commuter lines, Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, and is seeking more savings from employees, according to the report.

The Times also said that Delta officials had acknowledged that it needed to be financially prepared for a filing, which legal experts expected would occur in New York, although a final decision was not imminent. Delta, like the rest of the industry, has been battered by skyrocketing oil prices.

On Aug. 29 the airline's credit card processing agreement, which covers critical MasterCard and Visa transactions, will expire. Delta said on Tuesday it was trying to lower the amount of money it needs to pay up front to secure a new credit card processor.People close to the talks say Delta is being asked to set aside $300 million to $800 million, but the airline did not comment on the figures, the Times said.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-airlines-delta.html

[rfkrfk]

1. tax on fuel for international flight, zero, not one effin penny

US, tax of fuel for domestic flight, four cents a gallon
{really, $0.043, four point three cents a gallon}
These whores can't go out of business fast enough to please me.
I just don't feel sorry, for when the over paid management
spends every penny it can find on fuel to keep
another money losing flight in the air.