ATLANTA, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) employees today will present a check worth $1.25 million to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) at their annual Hot Pink Party in New York City. Delta employees and customers last year raised 25 percent more than the year prior.

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"Last year we challenged ourselves to reach farther and faster in the race to raise awareness and find a cure for this terrible disease, by exceeding the $1 million contribution we've donated in past years," said Joanne Smith, senior vice president – In-Flight Service and sponsor of Delta's efforts to support BCRF. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of Delta people and our customers, we far exceeded our goals. This year we are thrilled to be able to fund five research projects – one more than planned."

Delta people have raised more than $4.75 million for BCRF, including raising $1 million each year in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Previous donations have funded 13 BCRF research grants worldwide. This year's donation will fund an additional five research grants in 2012-2013.

Throughout the month of October, Delta employees don on pink uniforms and sell pink lemonade onboard and in Delta Sky Clubs to raise awareness and support for breast cancer research.

Delta's international "pink plane," a Boeing 767-400 featuring BCRF's trademarked pink ribbon logo on the tail of the aircraft and adjacent to the boarding door, has carried nearly 150,000 customers and flown nearly 6,000 hours – or approximately 104 trips around the world – since being painted pink in May 2010. The aircraft flies international routes, helping raise awareness for BCRF in England, Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Argentina. Delta's international pink plane replaced the pink-and-white Boeing 757 that between 2005 and 2010 flew throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean to generate awareness for the cause.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 350 destinations in 62 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 $2 billion through 2013 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