Delta Air Lines, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan for Seasonal Employees
Atlanta, GATransportation & Warehousing2,079 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$446Employer $ per active participant
$1,267Employee $ saved per active participant
0.44%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$42.5MNet plan assets, end of year
$7,164Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity11.3 / 5023th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.8 / 2527th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving2.5 / 1517th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score31 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 23th |
| Lower admin cost | 27th |
| Employee saving | 17th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Delta Air Lines put in about $446 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,070). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.44% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $927,256 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $2,633,282 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $536,900 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $176,044 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $4,648 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,045,331 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $37.3M / $42.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,154 / 2,004 |
| Participants with account balances | 5,934 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $151,297 reported compensation |
| Bdo USA, P.C. | $20,099 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014143709NAL0003037585001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 58-0218548, plan #021, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
Other 401(k) plans filed under this employer's EIN
BDelta 401(k) Retirement PlanADelta 401(k) Retirement Plan for PilotsADelta 401(k) Retirement Plan for Subsidiaries
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