The airline will then match up to $250 of an employee's contributions made with payroll deductions to that account for a total of $1,000. When the economy stalled, Delta workers tapped roughly $1 billion in hardship withdrawals from their retirement accounts, Bryant said. "I didn't have a strategy in place on how to save money," said Loretta Day, a Delta flight attendant based in Atlanta. But it didn't take long for Day, 51, to practice better money habits once she completed a financial education class, she said. With the additional support, workers "are going to come in earlier, stay longer and go the extra mile," Bryant added.

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Persons: Jeff Greenberg, John Hope Bryant, Bryant, Loretta Day, Kelley Elliott, Fidelity's Taylor, Douglas Boneparth Organizations: Delta Air Lines, Hartsfield, Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Universal, Getty, Delta, Fidelity Investments, Employees Locations: Delta, Atlanta