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Airline Marketing Chief Out of a Job

Delta Air Lines is losing its marketing chief ahead of a planned cut in management in the ongoing restructuring of the bankrupt airline, which suffered last year along with many others from extremely high oil prices. Delta Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein announced the departure of the executive vice president of the marketing division, Paul Matsen.

The position will not be refilled, as the company seeks to cut corporate overhead costs by $200 million a year. Delta filed for bankruptcy on September 14 of last year, and is expected to cut 9,000 jobs, including 1,000 managers and support staff. Mr. Matsen, 46, was with the company for 12 years, and declines to say whether he was let go or resigned.

2005 was a rough year for the U.S. airline industry, which saw ticket prices rise and revenues fall due to incredibly high price-per-barrel levels for oil. Even as Delta announced the layoffs of workers, the airline let it be known that several new routes had been opened to cater to trendy locales and high-traffic international business areas.