Delta execs are also departing

ATLANTA — Two weeks ago, at a luncheon with Georgia business leaders, the chief executive of Delta Air Lines Inc. said he regretted the departures of several senior officials amid the company’s financial crisis.

But CEO Gerald Grinstein told the crowd he was glad that Vicki Escarra, Delta’s chief customer service officer, decided to stay with the company. Eight days later, Grinstein told employees that Escarra would retire Oct. 1.

The uncertainty surrounding the future of the nation’s third-largest airline goes beyond the much-publicized exodus of pilots; it also has taken a toll on the ranks of upper management.

“It’s a bearish sign, there’s no doubt about it, when a chunk of your management team is leaving,” said Bill Warlick, senior airline analyst at Fitch Ratings in Chicago. “It raises questions about the company’s capacity to complete its restructuring out of court.”

Since last year, Delta’s officer ranks have been reduced by 20 percent, according to a memo from Grinstein to employees on Tuesday. Among senior management over that period, Escarra, former chief executive Leo Mullin, chief financial officer Michele Burns, president Fred Reid and human resources executive vice president Bob Colman have all announced their departures.

The departures have come as Delta has cut executives’ pay and warned of the possibility of a bankruptcy filing.