Delta Airlines, like so many U.S. air carriers, has had a tough time the last few years. Today, however, things seem to be a little bit better. CEO Gerald Grinstein announced that Delta employees will get both pay raises and a “significant” stake in company stock when the airline emerges from bankruptcy later this year.

Grinstein is reportedly well-thought of by rank-and-file Delta employees, and he clearly needs to deal with the morale of the workforce since most non-union Delta employees had their pay slashed by 20 percent, their benefits cut, and pensions frozen in the scramble to reorganize the airline under Chapter 11.

But here’s the spin: CEO Grinstein wrote to employees this week that “this will be the first time ever on so large a scale that a company emerging from bankruptcy has awarded stock to nonunion employees.” He also said that the pay raises will help to get Delta employees “toward an industry standard pay structure… with the first pay increases coming this summer.” This all sounds good, but as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports today, Grinstein’s plan is “short on specifics”—meaning that without solid details, it is all subject to change.

And the real news in the Journal-Constitution story is this: “Delta’s message about the widely rumored employee perks could be timed to head off potential complaints once the carrier unveils details of executives’ and managers’ compensation in about two weeks. About 1,000 leaders will also be granted ownership stakes in Delta, but those shares will come in different forms, such as restricted stock, stock options and performance stock …Delta’s management has been treading carefully around the executive pay issue as it has tried to rebuild employee morale damaged by years of job cuts, falling pay and a 2003 controversy over executive pensions and bonuses that angered many workers.”

It may be that Gerald Grinstein is trying to head off any potential problems workers may have with the compensation package for managers and executives by preemptively announcing what he is going to do for the rest of the workforce. By keeping a lid on the specific details, he can later sweeten what he gives rank-and-file workers if reaction to what the managers are getting gets too heated.

In short, Grinstein gets a PR victory and warm fuzzy feelings from the workforce without really having to show all his cards. It’s the mark of a smart, seasoned executive who effectively keeps all of his options open until he is absolutely forced to commit.