Delta Tops 2013 FORTUNE World's Most Admired Companies Airline Industry List

ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines DAL today issued the following memo from CEO Richard Anderson to its 80,000 employees worldwide. 

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Congratulations! FORTUNE magazine has ranked Delta the most admired airline in its World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. This is really an award that says Delta people are the most admired employees in the global airline industry. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the Rules of the Road and our annual Flight Plan. This is the second time in three years that you have been named the most admired airline.

The annual FORTUNE World's Most Admired Companies airlines list is based on results of a global survey of airline executives, boards of directors and Wall Street analysts who rate companies in their own industry on nine criteria: people management, quality of management, innovation, long-term investment, use of corporate assets, financial soundness, social responsibility, quality of product and services and global competitiveness.

During the past year, we have widened the gap against our competitors thanks to a host of initiatives like our investments in you, our expansion at LaGuardia Airport in New York, our new venture with Virgin Atlantic Airways – which will greatly expand our presence at London Heathrow Airport – the Trainer refinery, the growth of our Asian gateway in Seattle, and our focus on boosting our Latin America presence along with partners such as GOL and Aeromexico.

Thanks to the efforts of our employees worldwide, Delta today leads the industry in operational excellence, financial performance and customer satisfaction. Our investments in the customer experience – including airport facilities, aircraft and technology – continue to pay off, but it is the investment in our people where we see the results every day.

The best part of Delta is our unique culture, which places dignity, respect and teamwork at the forefront of what we do every day. That is why Delta people shared in the company's success with $372 million recently paid out in profit sharing checks to employees worldwide and $91 million in Shared Rewards payments for meeting our monthly operational goals.

So thank you for running an excellent airline and for continuing to make Delta a great place to work for all of us every day. And congratulations on again putting Delta at the top of the list of the world's most admired airlines.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta won 33 airline industry awards sweeping the major corporate travel surveys including Business Travel News, Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, Recommend Magazine and The Beat. Delta was also a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award for exceptional support of National Guard and Reserve employees. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 319 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines