Partnership looks to develop strategies to hire those who have served their country.

Apr 24, 2014

ATLANTA and FORT CAMPBELL, K.Y., April 24, 2014 - Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) this week joined First Lady Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and other public and civic leaders at the Fort Campbell Veterans Job Summit and Career Forum as part of the carrier's strong commitment to military hiring initiatives and support of those individuals transitioning from military to civilian life.

"Delta has a strong and proud tradition of providing employment opportunities for those individuals who have served our country and we're committed to continuing an open dialogue with business leaders and elected officials to develop best practices and recruitment strategies," said Jim Graham, v.p. of Flying Operations and Chief Pilot and the executive sponsor of Delta's Veteran Employee Network. "We're excited the First Lady has made veteran hiring a key objective and look forward to welcoming qualified military applicants to the Delta family."

At the job summit, Delta participated on a panel discussion with other large employers, discussing the importance of veterans in civilian jobs and strategies for success during and after the transition to non-military jobs.

The airline recently extended its commitment to the 100,000 Jobs Mission and will, together with more than 130 other companies, work to hire 200,000 U.S. military veterans by 2020 after the coalition exceeded its original goal. Delta currently employs more than 10,000 veterans, including many pilots who have military backgrounds and in Nov. 2012 was awarded the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for its commitment to employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve.

In addition to its support of veteran hiring and employment efforts, Delta has been a proud supporter of active, reserve and veteran military women and men, including:

  • Annual employee volunteer-staffed holiday lounges at airports across the country in partnership with the USO;
  • Recognition of servicewomen and servicemen in uniform by providing priority boarding, complimentary upgrades to first class and BusinessElite where available and free access to Delta SkyClubs for military personnel engaged in the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan;
  • A strong partnership with the Department of Defense to operate military charter flights;
  • Coordination of care packages for those serving abroad and donation of millions of miles to military-support organizations like the Fisher House Foundation and USO, among others;
  • Support of the airline's employee-led Delta Honor Guard at more than a dozen U.S. airports who administer flag ceremonies and honor fallen soldiers returning home to their final resting place.

Delta in 2012 dedicated a Boeing 757 as the "Spirit of Freedom" in honor the women and men who have served and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

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 top 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 319 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 hubs in Amsterdam , Atlanta , Cincinnati , Detroit , Minneapolis-St. Paul , New York-JFK , New York-LaGuardia , Paris-Charles de Gaulle , Salt Lake City 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. delta.com , Twitter @Delta , Google.com/+Delta , Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com .

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