ATLANTA, Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) on Feb. 14 will pay out more than $1 billion in profit sharing for the third year in a row and celebrate the outstanding accomplishments made possible by its more than 80,000 employees around the world.

Delta employees earned the $1.1 billion payout for their role in delivering record-breaking operational, financial and customer satisfaction performance.

“No other company and certainly no other airline has ever shared $1 billion in profits with its employees,” said Delta’s Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian. “We are so proud and excited to celebrate on Feb. 14 with all Delta people worldwide, who serve our customers and run the most reliable airline operation in the world.”

The airline has paid out nearly $5 billion through its profit sharing program over the past five years. Through the program, employees share in the success they create together through hard work and a focus on the customer.

Delta employees will be honored for their record-breaking performance on Feb. 14 at events held across its global network. The airline also thanked employees with ad placements in U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, among others.

Delta’s profit sharing payouts will have an even bigger impact on local communities than the numbers suggest because of what economists call “the multiplier effect.”

For example, in metro Atlanta, where Delta will pay its more than 32,000 employees more than $392 million, the economic impact will actually be more than double: an estimated $957 million, according to a local economist.

In addition to profit sharing, Delta’s Shared Rewards program pays out monthly bonuses for meeting corporate operational goals throughout the year. In 2016, Delta employees earned more than $90 million in Shared Rewards as the company achieved history-making operational and financial results.

Employees will also receive a 6 percent raise in base pay in April, resulting in a total pay rate increase of 25 percent in two years.

About Delta

Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented six consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 323 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 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 transatlantic 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, and Facebook.com/delta.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines