Delta to Pay $264 Million in Profit Sharing to Employees

Delta Air Lines

today issued the following letter to its 80,000 employees worldwide. The letter, from Delta CEO Richard Anderson, has begun to arrive in homes of U.S.-based employees in advance of profit sharing payments to be made Feb.14, 2012: Congratulations and thank you for a great 2011. Your hard work and dedication earned $264 million in profit sharing for Delta people. For you, that means payment on February 14 equal to 4.85% of your annual pay. Delta's profit sharing program, the most generous in the industry, recognizes your contribution to Delta's successful journey. Thank you. Profit sharing symbolizes two important aspects of the Delta culture. First, it is a tangible way we share our success. Employees have earned profit sharing payments in three of the last five years. This underscores our values of dignity and mutual respect and our commitment to provide fulfilling careers for Delta people. Profit sharing is part of your total compensation that includes a competitive package of pay, benefits and work rules, along with additional opportunities to earn more when the company performs well. Delta people earned approximately $60 million in Shared Rewards throughout 2011. Since the introduction of Shared Rewards in 2005 and the Profit Sharing Plan in 2007, employees have earned more than $1 billion in total payouts. We look forward to implementing pay increases this year for U.S.-based employees in keeping with our commitment to industry standard pay. Pay for Delta people in non-U.S. locations continues to be implemented according to established timelines for those countries.