Delta Named to Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America for 2nd Consecutive Year

ATLANTA, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today announced it has been recognized for the second consecutive year as a member of the  Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America, illustrating Delta's continued commitment to integrate sustainable practices into the workplace.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO )

Delta is the only airline among the top 20 percent selected from the 600 largest Canadian and United States companies in the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index. Companies named to the index today meet high standards for economic, environmental and social responsibility criteria.  Delta performed exceptionally well in Corporate Governance, Customer Relationship Management, Reliability, Risk & Crisis Management, Local Air Quality, Route Network and Stakeholder Engagement.  

"Delta aims to continuously improve our overall corporate sustainability efforts and recognition such as being named to the index reflects our ongoing commitment," said Steve Gorman, Delta's Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer.  "We have more work ahead of us as we look to lower Delta's overall sustainability impact in coming years."

Some of Delta's achievements in sustainability include:

• Strengthening its balance sheet by reducing debt levels to below $10 billion by 2013, leading to long-term success with investors and employees
• Exceeding the International Air Transport Association's goal of improving fleet fuel efficiency an average of 1.5 percent each year since 2009 thereby reducing greenhouse gas emission
• Offering an award-winning In-Flight Recycling program in 25 U.S. cities and one international city that has recycled more than 2,900 tons since the start of the program
• Contributing millions of dollars through corporate donations and employee contributions to a host of civic causes, including the American Red Cross, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Habitat for Humanity
• Improving the customer experience through the use of social media and technology improvements

Developed in 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are geographically focused and track the stock performance of companies leading the field in corporate sustainability. The indexes are prepared cooperatively by S&P Dow Jones Indices and global sustainable investing firm SAM, which together annually reviews 2,500 companies worldwide assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management and climate mitigation. 

Investors who consider company's sustainable practices in their portfolios use these indexes as benchmarks for where to put their money. By using a best-in-class approach, the indexes only include companies that fulfill certain sustainability criteria better than the majority of their peers.

For more information on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes and the changes resulting from this year's review please visit http://www.sustainability-index.com.

To access Delta's latest Corporate Responsibility Report, please visit  
http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=18&cat=49.

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, won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey and was the recipient of 12 Executive Travel Magazine Leading Edge Awards for U.S. airlines. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 320 destinations in 60 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 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