Delta paying out record $1.6 billion to employees

ATLANTA - If you work for Delta Air Lines, you have a pretty nice payout coming your way.

Delta paying out profit sharing to employees

Delta employees are getting an amazing Valentine's Day treat.

The Atlanta-based carrier says it's giving more than a billion and a half dollars in profit sharing to its 90,000 employees this year.

That's equivalent to about two months of pay.

Delta will make the payout on Valentine's Day, which is the day the airline typically holds profit-sharing celebrations for its employees.

The payout comes after the airline said it earned $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter by operating more flights and filling a higher percentage of seats – an 8% increase from the same quarter in 2018.

Lower fuel prices also helped Delta save more than $300 million, and unlike key rivals, Delta didn't get caught up in the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max - it doesn't own any of the planes.

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The airline says it will hire about 7,000 people in 2020 and hopes to add 25,000 over the next three to four years.