Read the letter from Rob Kight regarding retirees and survivors ...

Rob Kight –
Vice President,
Compensation, Benefits
& Services
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Post Office Box 20706
Atlanta, GA 30320-6001
August 6, 2008
To:
From:
Delta Retirees and Survivors
Rob Kight – Vice President, Compensation, Benefits & Services
Subject: Partner in Delta’s “Green” Initiatives
I want to let you know about several initiatives that may affect how you interact with Delta on
important matters like Open Enrollment and processing of “Life Events.” These initiatives are
part of a broader effort to make Delta a “green” company that lessens our impact on the
environment.
In June 2007, our In-flight Service division successfully kicked off its Comprehensive Onboard
Recycling Program in Atlanta with flight attendants, cabin service crew and catering staff
collecting various recyclable materials during and after each flight. These efforts in the air and
other programs on the ground have produced tremendous results including:
• More than 283 tons of recycled materials collected in the onboard recycling program,
including 15 million cans
• About 578 trees saved by recycling more than 34 tons of newsprint
• Waste-disposal cost savings of nearly $16,000 by diverting recyclable materials away
from landfills
• $150,000 in recycling proceeds donated to fully fund the construction of a Habitat for
Humanity home in September
• More than 45,000 pounds of aircraft carpeting recycled into new carpeting
• More than 150 tons of materials diverted from local landfills by employees who drop off
acceptable recycled items at the Employee Recycling Center at the World Headquarters
• More than 225,000 pounds of office paper from World Headquarters recycled in
conjunction with the recycling center efforts already in place.
The Delta HR team is contributing to our company’s conservation efforts by not only switching to
recycled paper, but also by eliminating paper and streamlining processes in as many areas as
possible. Here are a few examples that are directly relevant to our retiree and survivor
population:
• Effective August 4, 2008 paperless “Life Event’ processing for retirees and survivors
became available online via Employee Self-Service (ESS). This means that you will no
longer have to call the Employee Service Center to do things like add a spouse, add or
delete dependents, and more. Instead, you will have complete control of this process
simply by accessing the appropriate, password protected site on DeltaNet. Find out
more by visiting the Manage My Life Events tool on Employee Connection.
• Beginning September 1, 2008, retirees and survivors with direct deposit will no longer
receive their pension benefit check by mail. To view and print your pension benefit pay
stubs go to ESS and click on Paycheck Information. Your historic pension pay stub
information will continue to be stored on-line beginning with the July 2008 pension

check, so that in the future, you will have access to your prior pension pay stub
information.
• All Open Enrollment processing will be handled online beginning this fall. This means
that things like benefit enrollment worksheets, plan information and confirmation
statements will be available online in Benefits Direct via ESS and will no longer be
printed or mailed to your home. You will receive a notification by mail several weeks
prior to open enrollment alerting you to the specific time frame that open-enrollment will
occur and enrollment instructions.
• Updated benefit handbooks (Summary Plan Descriptions) will be available online by the
end of the year and will not be mass produced and mailed.
I know that we have heard in the past that some retirees either do not have access to
computers or are uncomfortable using them. That is why we wanted to get this information to
you now so that you may prepare well in advance of the Open Enrollment period to be ready to
complete your enrollment online. Keep in mind that most communities have resources such as
public libraries where access to computers is available for free. Relatives, friends and
neighbors can also be a good source of occasional access to and help with computers.
A Delta Passport password is required for online life event processing, open enrollment and
other self-service features. If you do not have a Passport password, a default password is being
created for you. Attached is a helpful guide, “How to Obtain a Passport Password” that will help
you create a permanent Passport password of your choosing. We anticipate your default
password will be established no later than August 15, 2008.
With a Delta Passport password you can access Employee Self-Service (ESS) to provide a
personal email address and update your personal contact information. (Select the Permanent
Address and Other Information link on Employee Self-Service.) Giving us your email address
helps decrease paper waste and gets information to you faster.
By implementing these changes, the Delta family will be doing our part by keeping excess paper
out of local community landfills while giving you faster, easier, and real time access to your
benefits information. In addition, you should be pleased to know that these paperless
processes will save Delta approximately $200,000-$300,000 per year – cost savings that helps
strengthen our ability to provide you these benefits.
Thank you again for all that you do to make Delta stronger.
Best Regards,
Rob Kight
Vice-President – Compensation, Benefits & Services