BUSINESS

Delta feeder airline shuttering Detroit crew base

Lauren Abdel-Razzaq
The Detroit News

One of Delta Air Lines connection carriers will be closing its crew base at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, leaving 112 employees without jobs in this area.

Compass Airlines is closing its Detroit crew base June 1, leaving 52 pilots and 60 flight attendants with the option to transfer to another crew base in a different location, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the state on March 30.

“As previously indicated, no crew members are being furloughed or laid off as a result of this closure,” said Brian Randow, Compass’ chief operating officer, in the notification. “A sufficient number of positions exist in Compass's other crew bases so that if a crew member so chooses they may transfer to another location in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement and seniority.”

Crew members who are qualified will also be able to apply for any open position at the corporate office in Minneapolis, Randow said.

The crew members were originally notified of the decision back in February. The closure doesn’t effect Compass Airlines maintenance workers at the Detroit Metro Airport base, which will remain open.

Compass flies as a Delta Connection carrier out of Delta’s hubs at Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit, with its headquarters located in Minneapolis and a maintenance facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The airline operates about 190 flights daily in 57 cities and has about 1,000 employees system-wide, according to the company’s website.

According to the notice, the pilots and flight attendants are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association International and the Association of Flight Attendants — CWA. Representatives from both unions could not be reached Friday.

lrazzaq@detroitnews.com

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