debt.

 Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2007 that relate to debt, operating leases, aircraft order commitments, capital leases, contract carrier obligations, other material, noncancelable purchase obligations and other commitments. The table does not include commitments that are contingent on events or other factors that are uncertain or unknown at this time, some of which are discussed in footnotes to this table and in the text immediately following the footnotes.

The following items are not included in the table above:

Pension Plans. We sponsor qualified defined contribution and defined benefit pension plans for eligible employees and retirees. Our funding obligations for these plans are governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”). Estimates of pension plan funding requirements can vary materially from actual funding requirements because the estimates are based on various assumptions, including those described below.

Defined Contribution Pension Plans (“DC Plans”). During 2007, we contributed approximately $112 million to our DC Plans, which include the Delta Family-Care Savings Plan and the Delta Pilots Defined Contribution Plan. In addition to the $112 million contribution, we paid approximately $61 million directly to employees that otherwise would have been contributed to the DC Plans on their behalf, but for limits imposed by the Internal Revenue Code on contributions to such plans. In 2008, we expect to contribute approximately $195 million to our DC Plans or directly to employees once they reach the applicable Internal Revenue Code limits.

 

Defined Benefit Pension Plans (“DB Plans”). During 2007, we contributed approximately $116 million to our DB Plans. Under our settlement agreement with the PBGC, the Pilot Plan was terminated effective September 2, 2006. In addition, our non-qualified defined benefit pension plans for pilots were terminated effective September 2, 2006.

Effective December 31, 2005, future pay and service accruals under the Non-Pilot Plan were frozen. Effective April 1, 2007, we elected the alternative funding schedule under Section 402(a)(1) of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 with respect to the Non-Pilot Plan. We also rejected in bankruptcy our non-qualified defined benefit plans for non-pilot employees. As a result, no further benefits will be paid from these non-qualified plans. The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows us to reduce the funding obligations for the Non-Pilot Plan over the next several years. While this legislation makes our funding obligations for the Non-Pilot Plan more predictable, factors outside our control will continue to have an impact on the funding requirements for that plan.

Estimates of future funding requirements for the Non-Pilot Plan are based on various assumptions, including, among other things, the actual and projected market performance of assets of the Non-Pilot Plan; statutory requirements; the terms of the Non-Pilot Plan; and demographic data for participants in the Non-Pilot Plan, including the number of participants and the rate of participant attrition.

Assuming