Delta to detail Salt Lake plans

The fate of Delta Air Lines' hub at Salt Lake City International Airport could be decided on Wednesday.

Delta announced Thursday that it will outline details of its closely guarded restructuring plan at a meeting Wednesday that will be broadcast on the Internet.

Among the items rumored to be on the table as Delta seeks to cut costs are closing the airline's smaller hubs in Salt Lake City and Dallas.

But no details of the plan have been released yet. And on a related matter, the airline's pilots union said Thursday that there is no agreement expected in the near future with the struggling carrier over concessions.

Both sides will continue to meet, but union spokesman Chris Renkel said in a memo to pilots that rumors of "round-the-clock" talks and an "imminent" tentative agreement are unfounded.

"Our union needs your help in not perpetuating this type of crew room gossip," Renkel told pilots.

Renkel said "work group" meetings continued this week between the pilots union's negotiating committee and management to discuss technical aspects of scheduling and work rule concessions. The meetings are expected to continue next week, he said.

There has been some progress in those areas, Renkel said without elaborating. Union spokeswoman Karen Miller said she had nothing to add, and Delta spokeswoman Peggy Estes said she had no information on possible movement in the negotiations.

Delta, the nation's third-largest airline, has warned about the possibility of bankruptcy without deep wage cuts from its pilots. The company is seeking $1 billion in concessions; the union has offered up to $705 million.

Regarding the restructuring plan, the airline said chief executive Gerald Grinstein will unveil the initial phase of the Atlanta-based carrier's strategic review on Wednesday.

Delta also is seeking to restructure its more than $20 billion in debt.

The airline has extended until next Thursday, the day after Grinstein's Webcast, a deadline for creditors to respond to a request by Delta to give it more flexibility in restructuring its debt. Some creditors have refused to consent to the request without more information on the turnaround plan.

A few details of Delta's turnaround plan have already been released.