July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Northwest Airlines Corp., the carrier being bought by Delta Air Lines Inc., will eliminate 2,500 jobs to counter record fuel costs.

The reductions represent about 8.1 percent of the 31,000- person workforce at Eagan, Minnesota-based Northwest, which said today it will rely first on voluntary steps such as leaves to pare the number of dismissals.

Northwest's move will boost industrywide job cuts to about 20,000 as U.S. carriers park 400 jets after an 86 percent surge in jet fuel in the past year. Airline losses may top $13 billion in 2008, the Air Transport Association trade group estimates.

``They're all paring down, and it seems to be a race to see who can cut the most,'' said John Walsh, president of consulting firm Walsh Aviation Co. in Annapolis, Maryland. ``What we may be seeing here is just the first wave, if fuel stays so high.''

Northwest, the sixth-largest U.S. carrier by traffic, also will begin charging $15 for the first checked bag, joining AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines.

A $25 fee will be added to redeem frequent-flier points for domestic tickets, $50 for trans-Atlantic flights and $100 for trans-Pacific trips, Northwest said. Delta and US Airways Group Inc. charge as much as $50 to claim the mileage awards, while American has a $5 processing fee.

The new baggage and frequent-flier fees will generate $250 million to $300 million a year in additional revenue to ``help ease the burden of these record high oil prices,'' Chief Executive Officer Doug Steenland said in a statement.

Shares Decline

Northwest fell $1.17, or 16 percent, to $6.30 at 4:01 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading as jet fuel rose after two days of declines. Fuel prices and airline stocks often move inversely. Northwest has tumbled 57 percent this year.

Northwest plans to trim its seating capacity by as much as 9.5 percent in the fourth quarter as part of its retrenchment, matching cuts of 10 percent or more at each of the four biggest carriers. The job and seating reductions are ``the direct result of our extraordinary fuel costs,'' Steenland said.

``These moves show how tough it has become to run an airline with oil above $135 a barrel and an economic slowdown,'' Standard & Poor's equity analyst Jim Corridore said in a note to clients. ``More capacity cuts are likely if oil prices do not drop sharply.''

Details of Northwest's ``early-out programs,'' such as whether employees will get a cash payout, haven't been completed, spokeswoman Tammy Lee said. The company said all employee groups will be affected by the reductions.

Delta made cash payouts to 4,000 employees who took its voluntary buyouts, including severance that ranged from 2 to 20 weeks of salary and benefits. The Atlanta-based airline has said it expects second-quarter costs of $95 million for the buyouts.

Northwest has said it expects to complete its merger with Delta by year's end. The value of the all-stock deal has slumped 50 percent to $1.83 billion since the two carriers announced their agreement on April 14. The combination will vault No. 3 Delta and Northwest past American and United to become the world's largest airline.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Jane Credeur in Atlanta at mcredeur@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 9, 2008 16:14 EDT