Delta Air Lines Employees to Build Habitat for Humanity Homes in Six Cities

More than 2,000 employees volunteer for construction projects from coast to coast

Delta's In-Flight recycling program to fully fund Seattle area home

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Sep 03, 2013, 12:00 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) employees from across the country will roll up their sleeves to partner with Habitat for Humanity by building new or renovated affordable single family homes in six Delta cities including its hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City as well as in key international gateway cities Los Angeles and Seattle. More than 2,000 Delta employees will participate in the build projects, which begin Sept. 4 and continue through Nov. 1, 2013.

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

"Delta people are unified in our resolve to serve the people of the communities where we live, work and serve each day," said Tad Hutcheson, Delta's vice president – Community Affairs. "Through our relationship with Habitat for Humanity, we've helped more than 100 families with safe, affordable homes around the globe though our employee's selfless dedication and eagerness to live the values of our brand."

Delta's contribution to the Seattle area home is 100 percent funded by proceeds from Delta's in-flight recycling program. It is the fifth home Delta has funded by recycling customer aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other recyclable materials from passenger flights. Nearly 1 million pounds of passenger consumer products were recycled in 2012, and more than 7 million pounds have been recycled since the start of the program in 2007. Employee volunteers will dedicate their time and talent to build a fully accessible home with a local family of four that includes twin boys with cerebral palsy.

The Atlanta build site is among the last homes which will complete a subdivision built entirely by Habitat for Humanity volunteers located in Jonesboro, Ga. Delta's employees have proudly built 15 of the homes in the neighborhood since 2008.

"Delta has been a fantastic partner over the years and we're thankful for the efforts they continue to make to help families obtain decent, affordable homes," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "It's inspiring to see the level of engagement from Delta employees and their culture of dedicated service in communities around the country."

Delta and Habitat for Humanity's relationship has grown steadily since 2000. Habitat is one of Delta's core community partnerships in its Force for Global Good which encourages employees to unite under a shared mission to make a difference in the communities where they live, work and serve. Delta employees have helped more than 100 families receive safe, decent and affordable homes in eight countries around the world. More than 9,800 Delta people have contributed over 92,000 volunteer hours raising walls, digging foundations, laying brick, installing roofs, painting and other construction-related activities.

As part of the long-term partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, Delta painted a Boeing 767-300ER featuring Habitat's logo on the tail of the aircraft in December 2006. The special livery helps raise awareness of Habitat for Humanity's global work and highlights the efforts of employee participation in Delta's Force For Global Good. The aircraft has carried more than 630,000 customers and has flown more than 3,600 trips around the world since that time.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that safe and affordable housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has helped more than 3 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also advocates for fair and just housing policies and provides training and access to resources to help more families improve their shelter conditions. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To get more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit habitat.org.

About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 317 destinations in 57 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. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. 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. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.