Delta celebrates 10th anniversary of 'Breast Cancer One' survivor flight

Annual flight kicks off Delta's fundraising campaign in partnership with BCRF

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Oct 01, 2014, 09:35 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines' (NYSE: DAL) annual "Breast Cancer One" employee survivor flight took place yesterday, kicking off the airline's month-long campaign to generate awareness and raise money for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This year marked Delta's 10th annual survivor flight, which honored more than 140 employee breast cancer survivors with a trip from Atlanta to New York City.

Breast Cancer One is prepared for departure as Delta celebrates 10th anniversary BCRF Survivor Flight. (PRNewsFoto/Delta Air Lines)

"Delta employees across the globe are united in their passion and support for BCRF and its critical mission of finding a cure for breast cancer," said Sandy Gordon, Delta's Vice President – In-Flight Service Field Operations. "We are proud of our employees and customers, as they unite efforts and help us celebrate this major milestone."

The employee survivors, accompanied by Delta leaders and BCRF executives, traveled from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Survivors were celebrated and honored by Delta leaders, employees and customers during festivities at both airports including water cannon salutes and live music. In New York, survivors were treated to an overnight stay which included dinner and a meet-and-greet with some of BCRF's world-renowned researchers. Nearly 80 percent of the Delta employees involved were first-time participants.

As part of this year's initiative, Delta also hosted its first "Unsung Hero" social media contest. The airline encouraged customers who are survivors or currently battling breast cancer to share the story of the person who has provided countless hours of support during their journey. As a result, five customers and their unsung heroes were chosen to attend this year's flight.

"When Delta joined forces with BCRF 10 years ago, we knew we had an ally in this fight until the very end," said Myra Biblowit, President of BCRF. "With Delta, it's not just the company that is committed to ending breast cancer, every one of their employees is dedicated to the cause. Their partnership is personal, and that's what has made it such an enormous success."

To further raise awareness and support for breast cancer research, Delta employees will wear pink uniforms and sell pink products, including pink lemonade and pink headsets, on board and in Delta Sky Clubs during October. All proceeds from the airline's pink products will benefit BCRF.

Since 2005, Delta's support has contributed more than $7.9 million to BCRF, including last year's efforts of $1.25 million. Delta's contributions have funded the vital work of 31 different research projects over the years in the pursuit of eradicating breast cancer.

Delta's "Pink Plane"
Delta's international "pink plane," a Boeing 767-400, features BCRF's trademarked pink ribbon logo on the tail of the aircraft and adjacent to the boarding door. In 2012 the aircraft was formally dedicated to the memory of Evelyn Lauder who founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in 1993. The aircraft flies international routes and will raise awareness for BCRF in London, Milan, Rio De Janiero, Sao Paulo, among others and the United States this year. Delta's first pink plane was a Boeing 757 that between 2005 and 2010 flew throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean to generate awareness for the cause.

More information about the charitable efforts of Delta and its employees is available in the company's annual Corporate Responsibility Report.

About Breast Cancer Research Foundation
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) advances the world's most promising research to eradicate breast cancer. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF has raised more than $500 million to fuel discoveries in tumor biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, survivorship and metastasis. This year, BCRF will invest $47 million in annual grants to more than 220 researchers at leading medical institutions across six continents, making the foundation one of the largest non-governmental funders of breast cancer research in the world. Through its Evelyn H. Lauder Founder's Fund, BCRF has also committed $11.6 million in 2014-15 to an international research initiative focused on breast cancer metastasis. By spending 91 cents of every dollar on research and public awareness, BCRF remains one of the nation's most fiscally responsible nonprofits. BCRF is the only breast cancer organization with an "A+" from CharityWatch, and has been awarded Charity Navigator's highest rating of four stars 12 times since 2002. Join us at www.bcrfcure.org.

About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's 50 Most Admired Companies, in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 318 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 as well as a newly formed 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, 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, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.