Fortune magazine named Delta the most admired airline worldwide in its 2011 World’s Most Admired Companies list published this month.
The annual list is based on results of a global survey of industry experts who rate airlines on a range of criteria including people management, innovation, long-term investment, social responsibility, quality of product and services, and global competitiveness.
Richard Anderson, Delta CEO said “This award is proof of the great strides we have made in building a strong global business for our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities we serve.”
Delta has steadily risen in the award ranking from tenth in 2007 to the winner this year, beating last year’s winner Singapore Airlines. The full 2011 FORTUNE industry list, in order, are; Delta Air Lines, Singapore Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM Group, Cathay Pacific Airways, United Continental, Qantas Airways, British Airways, All Nippon Airways, US Airways Group and AMR.
Delta has also continued to build its presence from London Heathrow with the introduction this summer of 10 daily flights to the U.S. including from March 27th, new nonstop services to Boston and Miami.
Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s SVP - Europe, Middle East and Africa said “In cooperation with our partners, Air France-KLM and Alitalia, we continue to invest in our U.K. business travellers, including offering full-flat bed seats on all flights to and from Heathrow and designing convenient schedules to reach top U.S.business destinations.”
Delta has grown from no service to Heathrow in 2007 to 10 daily flights to six U.S. cities planned for summer 2011, with non-stop services to its hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, New York-JFK, and Minneapolis-St. Paul as well as Boston and Miami.
Mean while, the airline eliminated the expiration time of its SkyMiles scheme since 1st January so that members have more time to accrue and use their points.
Previously, miles expired 24 months after a member's last qualifying mileage activity, which required a member to earn or redeem miles within that period.
Jeff Robertson, Delta's VP – SkyMiles said "We know how much customers value their miles, so eliminating mileage expiration is a major win for them. This is yet another benefit that sets us apart from the pack, making Delta a clear leader in loyalty program benefits."
