Delta will furlough 300 fewer pilots than expected

ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines expects to furlough 1,400 pilots instead of the 1,700 the airline estimated four months ago after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. <br> <br> The revised number &#34;was an adjustment based on operational needs,&#34; Delta spokesman John Kennedy said Monday. <br> <br> The job cuts began in December and will continue into the spring. <br> <br> Delta&#39;s pilot union, the Air Lines Pilots Association, is opposing the furloughs at a hearing this week in Washington. The union says the pilots&#39; jobs are protected under the contract signed last spring, which includes a no-furlough clause. <br> <br> After the attacks, the nation&#39;s third-largest airline eliminated 13,000 jobs as part of a broader effort to reduce its operations because of dramatically less traffic. <br> <br> Most of those cuts were accomplished through early retirement or voluntary leave. <br> <br>

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