Delta Ranked Among World's Most Admired Companies for Fourth Year

Fortune again rates Delta among world's leading brands as well as the world's Most Admired Airline.

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Feb 16, 2017, 07:30 ET

ATLANTA, Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has again earned a spot among the world's leading brands after being named today as one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies for the fourth consecutive year.

Among its competitors, Delta was named Fortune's Most Admired Airline, rated No. 1 on the industry list for the sixth time in the past seven years.

CEO Ed Bastian credited the work of Delta's 80,000-person workforce for the honor. "It is your unmatched dedication to our customers and unwavering pursuit of excellence in every area of our business that have earned recognition from so many corners. And it is those qualities that will propel us even further," he wrote in a memo to employees today.

Each year, Fortune surveys top executives and directors across all industries to rank the 10 companies they most admire in nine areas such as innovation, people management and financial soundness, as well as an overall reputation. The magazine's editors compile the data and publish an annual list of the top 50 Most Admired Companies. Delta was ranked No. 31 this year.

The airline rankings are based on the results of a global survey of industry executives, boards of directors and analysts who are asked to rate companies in their industry based on criteria including innovation, investment value and global competitiveness.

Most Admired Companies is the latest in a series of accolades for Delta. In December, Delta made a trio of "best workplace" lists: Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality, Best Companies for Diversity and for African-Americans, and Glassdoor's Best Places to Work.

Bastian told employees he was confident they would continue to raise the bar. "With you taking care of our customers and each other, our best days are yet to come."

What makes Delta a most admired company?

Companies are ranked by top executives and directors across industries on the following attributes, as well as their overall reputation:

Innovation
People Management
Use of Corporate Assets
Quality of Management
Social Responsibility
Financial Soundness
Long-Term Investment Value
Quality of Products and Services
Global Competitiveness

Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each year. Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 327 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 800 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 and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, 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.