By James Pilcher
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Delta Air Lines and its pilots union have agreed that rising passenger traffic has reached a level that triggers the recall of more than 1,000 furloughed pilots, officials said Monday night.

"We will be meeting this week to determine the timing and the pace and the logistics of this," Delta spokesman John Kennedy said.

The 1,060 pilots were laid off after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sent the entire industry into a tailspin - and despite a "no furlough" clause in the contract with the Air Line Pilots Association.

An independent arbitrator subsequently decided that if passenger traffic reached a certain point - matching or exceeding pre-Sept. 11 traffic for a four-month period - pilots should be gradually recalled.

The financially ailing airline's traffic for the four months ending in February narrowly exceeded the pre-Sept. 11 level. The union Friday asked Delta to begin recalling furloughed pilots.

Delta employs nearly 8,000 pilots, including nearly 800 at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport - the Atlanta-based airline's second-largest hub.

Kennedy would not say how long the recalls might take. But such an action could take months or years.

Meanwhile, talks between the union and management have stalled over pay cuts and concessions to address Delta's continuing multimillion-dollar losses.

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Cox News Service contributed. E-mail jpilcher@enquirer.com