8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 29, 2012

DELTA AIR LINES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-05424	58-0218548
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

P.O. Box 20706, Atlanta, Georgia 30320-6001

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (404) 715-2600

Registrant’s Web site address: www.delta.com

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

£ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

£ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

£ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

£ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

(b)          Effective March 1, 2012, Hank Halter ceased to be Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (“Delta” or the “Company”) and will terminate his employment with the Company effective as of April 1, 2012.  In connection with his termination, Mr. Halter will receive the benefits provided under the Delta Air Lines, Inc. Officer and Director Severance Plan and existing award agreements under Delta’s 2007 Performance Compensation Plan. Under a separation agreement between Mr. Halter and the Company, Mr. Halter will agree to certain non-competition, non-solicitation and confidentiality covenants for the benefit of Delta and a general release of claims he may have against Delta. In addition, Mr. Halter will receive an aggregate amount of $400,000 for transition consulting services.

(c)          On February 29, 2012, Delta’s Board of Directors promoted Paul A. Jacobson to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective March 1, 2012.  Prior to becoming Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Jacobson served as Delta’s Senior Vice President and Treasurer, a position he has held since December 2007. Mr. Jacobson previously served as Delta’s Vice President and Treasurer from August 2005 to December 2007. Mr. Jacobson joined Delta in 1997 and served in various finance positions prior to 2005.

In connection with this appointment, the Board increased Mr. Jacobson’s annual base salary to $390,000.  Mr. Jacobson will continue to participate in Delta’s annual and long-term incentive plans for management employees, perquisite programs available to senior executives and broad-based employee retirement and welfare plans and other benefits. A copy of Delta’s press release announcing Mr. Jacobson’s appointment is attached to this report as Exhibit 99.1.

Michael O. Randolfi, who has been promoted to Senior Vice President – Finance and Controller, will serve as Delta’s principal accounting officer effective as of March 1, 2012.

(e)          A separation agreement entered into between Mr. Halter and Delta is described in (b) above.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit 99.1 Press Release dated March 1, 2012 titled “Delta Names Paul A. Jacobson Chief Financial Officer”

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	DELTA AIR LINES, INC.
	By: /s/ Richard B. Hirst
Date:  March 2, 2012	Richard B. Hirst, Senior Vice President and General Counsel

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number	Description
Exhibit 99.1	Press Release dated March 1, 2012, titled “Delta Names Paul A. Jacobson Chief Financial Officer”

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EX-99.1

E

EXHIBIT 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Delta Corporate Communications
404-715-2554
news archive at news.delta.com

Delta Names Paul A. Jacobson Chief Financial Officer

Additional officer appointments further strengthen executive team

ATLANTA, March 1, 2012 – Delta Air Lines' (NYSE: DAL) today announced that Paul A. Jacobson has been appointed to the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective March 1. Jacobson, 40, and currently Delta’s senior vice president and treasurer, will report to Delta President Edward H. Bastian.

Jacobson, a 15-year veteran of Delta, will play a key leadership role in delivering industry-leading financial results. Jacobson will join Delta’s Corporate Leadership Team and assume responsibilities from Hank Halter, Delta’s current chief financial officer, following his decision to retire from Delta.

“Paul joined Delta in 1997 as an analyst and has held positions of increasing responsibility since that time. He has always demonstrated the excellent leadership, strategic insight and financial prowess unique to understanding our business,” said Bastian. “Hank leaves Delta after more than 13 years of distinguished service. With several key milestones accomplished and having paved the way for our future success, Hank leaves us in good hands – and Paul is a true reflection of the deep and talented internal bench strength within the Delta executive team.”

Jacobson holds a Bachelor of Aviation Management degree from Auburn University and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Chapter of the March of Dimes and resides in Atlanta with his wife and three children.

The following officers also have been named within Delta’s finance organization:

Gary Chase will join Delta as senior vice president – Financial Planning & Analysis and Investor Relations. Chase joins Delta from Barclays Capital where he has served as managing director – Equity Research.

“Having served as an airline analyst, Gary’s strong financial background and deep knowledge of the airline industry and transportation sector make him uniquely qualified to lead Delta’s Financial Planning, Financial Analysis, Flight Profitability and Investor Relations teams,” Bastian said. “Gary’s addition to our already strong team is reflective of our continual desire to ensure we have the diverse experience and talent needed to deliver great returns for our shareholders.”

Mike Randolfi has been promoted from vice president to senior vice president – Finance and Controller. The 12-year Delta veteran will continue to lead Delta’s day-to-day financial operations through the controller organization and also will assume responsibility for Delta’s corporate accounting.

Ken Morge, managing director – Assistant Treasurer will succeed Jacobson and be promoted to vice president and treasurer for Delta. In his position, Morge will oversee Corporate Tax, Capital Markets and Risk Management.

Chase, Randolfi and Morge will report to Jacobson.

“We have a world-class finance organization, and thanks to Delta people worldwide we are poised for continued success,” Bastian said.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, and was named the “Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline” by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 343 destinations in 62 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

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