Delta, The Delta Air Lines Foundation Invest $5 Million in Georgia Tech

Delta Designs Research Facility to Drive Advancements in Operations and Customer Experience; The Foundation Furthers Commitment to Education, Awarding $3 Million Grant

News provided by

Delta Air Lines

Nov 13, 2015, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, Nov. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is creating a collaborative research center at The Georgia Institute of Technology where the airline, through a $2 million grant, is funding projects to enhance its operations and the customer experience.

Delta is seen as an innovator in the aviation industry. A commitment to constant improvement has driven the company's success, leading to accolades such as being named to Fortune magazine's list of the 50 Most Admired Companies. This space enhances Delta's 86-year commitment to industry-leading firsts, like pioneering the use of a hub and spoke system in 1955, being the first U.S. airline with motion graphic maps in the cabin showing the aircraft's position and route in 1992 and launching the first mobile baggage tracking app in 2011.

"At Delta we are continuously seeking to improve and elevate our operations and the customer experience," said Gil West, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Delta. "This facility is the first of its kind for the domestic aviation industry. Tapping into the bright minds at Georgia Tech is an opportunity to gain new perspectives and approaches across Delta for changes that will advance our business now and for years to come."

The collaborative space is designed to promote business enhancements and innovation through research that centers on the way people and products interact. The facility provides:

Co-development and collaboration with Delta business and technology teams, Georgia Tech research staff and students from various colleges within the university.
Delta-led project development with the ability to vet concepts and ideas to understand business impact and value, assessing feasibility in the work environment.
Dedicated space for experimenting in a safe framework away from the operation to facilitate evaluating, envisioning and prototyping in a quick, iterative manner.
Immersive opportunities to share a holistic view of Delta's business operations with top-tier talent looking for collaborative, challenging work environments.

Already in development, the research facility began taking shape when Delta secured a five-year lease for the 6,500 square foot space at 75 Fifth St. in Atlanta's Midtown district. The airline is enhancing its ability to pioneer cutting-edge programs and technological advancements, looking to improve areas like service recovery, customer experience and customer satisfaction.

"Delta Air Lines and Georgia Tech have a rich heritage of working together in everything from research to hiring our co-ops and graduates. We are delighted that Delta's collaborative research center will provide even greater opportunities for Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff to work with this outstanding global airline," said Georgia Tech President G. P. "Bud" Peterson.

The venture is planned for early 2016, making Delta the newest tenant of the Centergy building, a development housing corporate innovation hubs and startups, among others, and part of Georgia Tech's innovation neighborhood at Technology Square.

As part of The Delta Air Lines Foundation's mission to support education, the Foundation has committed a $3 million multi-year grant to the Georgia Tech Foundation for the Georgia Tech Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF) located at 555 14th St. in Atlanta's Midtown district. The AMPF establishes Georgia Tech as the national leader in advanced manufacturing with a collaboration of Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Interactive Computing.

"We are grateful to The Delta Air Lines Foundation for their generous commitment that will facilitate breakthrough research in advanced manufacturing," Peterson said.

About Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation's leading research universities, providing a focused, technologically based education to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business.

About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year. Delta was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 World's Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fourth time in five years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for four consecutive years, a first for any airline. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 318 destinations in 58 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.

About The Delta Air Lines Foundation
The Delta Air Lines Foundation is a nonprofit corporation formed in 1968 to enhance Delta's charitable giving. The Foundation is focused on the key areas of health and wellness, arts and culture, education and diversity. Foundation contributions are unrestricted, allowing recipients to use funds where they are needed the most.

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SOURCE Delta Air Lines