Delta named 2014 Fortune’s most admired airline

For the first time, Delta has been named in the top 50 of FORTUNE magazine’s “2014 World’s Most Admired Companies” at number 48. At the same time, the company was named as the magazine’s most admired airline among its listing of airline firms for the third time in four years.
Delta CEO Richard Anderson, who announced the good news to the all Delta organizations in a memo, said, “This honor recognizes the hard work and great accomplishments of Delta’s nearly 80,000 people worldwide who are clearly focused on making Delta a better airline for our customers, a better investment for our shareholders and a better place to work.”

“Thank you for your continued focus on living by our Rules of the Road and executing on our Flight Plan despite the many challenges we have already faced this year. You are truly the most admired employees in the global airline business,” Anderson added.

Delta’s overall score in FORTUNE ranked it No. 1 among all airlines; its overall score was 6.45.

FORTUNE’s top 50 rankings are based on a survey that asks top executives and directors in all industries to identify the 10 companies they most admire, regardless of industry, from a predetermined list.

“Delta people have worked hard over the last several years to lead the way to a more sustainable future for Delta. We have made strategic investments in facilities in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta,” Anderson said. “[We] strengthened partnerships with Virginia Atlantic Airways, Aeromexico, and GOL, innovated by purchasing an oil refinery to help reduce our largest expense, transformed our fleet by reducing the number of 50-seat aircraft we fly, and invested in improving our product and the customer experience.”

Delta’s investments are paying off.

“In January, we celebrated a record 2013 profit, resulting in our largest profit sharing payout in history of $506 million earlier. We’ve reentered the S&P 500 and seen our stock price increase by more than 200 percent since 2011. Our 2013 operational is unheard of in our industry,” he said.

Its profit figure explains how Delta landed on the magazine. With $37.8 billion in revenue in 2013, Delta actually trailed the sales of both the combined American and US Airways ($40.3 billion) and United Continental ($38.3 billion). But Delta earned a great $2.7 billion in profit—an all time record for the company—and based on its 15 percent return on invested capital on the total of equity and debt, it was the best in the industry.

“None of this would be possible without the collaborative efforts of all our people—the best in the business. It is clear that when we work together we can achieve great things. As we keep our backpacks on in 2014, we must continue to set the pace for the industry,” Anderson said. “As always, it is an honor to serve and work alongside you. Thank you for all you do to make Delta the world’s most admired airline.”