Delta Airlines Adds Cabin Crew On Northwest Jets

Delta Air Lines Inc. will add flight attendants on some Northwest Airlines Corp. planes to create uniform service in its “business elite” class throughout the merged carrier.

The plans were disclosed last week in a recorded message to employees from Delta Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson. The airline will add one attendant per plane on Boeing Co. 747-400s and Airbus A330s that make international flights.

Delta is trying to win more passengers who travel outside the U.S. in first or business class and pay the highest fares. The Atlanta-based airline became the world’s biggest carrier last year when it merged with Northwest.

“Even in these challenging economic times, we continue to invest wisely in our customer business,” Anderson said. “Customers who fly in our business elite cabin pay significant fares.”

Delta doesn’t have a total number of attendants who will be added, spokeswoman Gina Laughlin said Friday in an e-mail. The change won’t result in additional hiring or recalls of furloughed attendants.

The change brings to four the number of attendants dedicated to business class on the A330s and six on the 747s, Laughlin said. The ratio of attendants to passengers will drop to 1:9 from 1:13, she said.

The airline will begin adding the additional workers to the 747-400s on Oct. 1, and to the A330s in the 2010 first quarter, Laughlin said.