Delta Contributes $250,000 to American Red Cross in Support of Australia Bushfire Relief

NYSE-listed leading airline - Delta Air Lines will contribute as much as $250,000 to the American Red Cross for immediate disaster response and humanitarian relief. This assumes significance in light of the devastating bushfires that have burned millions of acres in Australia, causing more than 25 deaths and destroyed over 2,000 homes.

Interestingly, Atlanta-headquartered Delta is the US global airline leader in products, services, innovation, reliability and customer experience. The airlines, which at present, has 90,000 strong people around the world, continues to invest billions in its people, improving the air travel experience and generating industry-leading shareholder returns. At present, Delta Airlines operates to its credit, over 5,000 daily departures and as many as 15,000 affiliated departures including the premier SkyTeam alliance, of which Delta is a founding member. Every year, the airline serves nearly 200 million people. It takes customers to more than 300 destinations in over 50 countries. Delta also operates significant hubs and key markets at airports in the United States and worldwide in conjunction with its alliance partners.

Tad Hutcheson, Managing Director of Community Engagement, said that the record-breaking bushfires have certainly been devastating for a large number of Australians, and Delta has promptly teamed up with the American Red Cross and the Australian Red Cross to target resources in order to help provide immediate assistance to those areas, which were hardest hit.

In the new scheme of things, Delta customers can now support the disaster relief efforts in Australia by donating. They can make donations through a Delta-branded micro-site in partnership with the American Red Cross, who in turn, is working with the Australian Red Cross. Besides, customers can also donate miles to the American Red Cross through SkyWish, the charitable arm of Delta's SkyMiles frequent flyer program. It allows Delta and its SkyMiles members to donate miles to charitable organizations across the world.

Delta also has a position on the Corporate Advisory Council of the American Red Cross. And it supports Red Cross agencies in Brazil, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and the U.K.

Meanwhile, Delta’s total revenue increased to a record $47 billion, up 7.5 per cent when prior-year period is adjusted for third-party refinery sales and the sale of DGS. Its total expense also increased by 3.9 per cent with CASM-Ex up 2 per cent, in line with the company's guidance and long-term cost targets. Delta's 90,000 employees will share a record $1.6 billion profit-sharing payout on Feb. 14. It has also generated $8.4 billion of operating cash flow and $4.2 billion of free cash flow. The company has returned $3 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer, said that 2019 was a truly outstanding year on all fronts – the best in Delta’s history operationally, financially and for our customers.  Their people, and their commitment to bringing best-in-class travel experiences to the airlines’ 200 million customers, are the foundation for their success. He is pleased to recognize their outstanding performance with a record $1.6 billion in profit sharing for 2019. As the company walks into 2020, demand for travel is healthy and their brand preference is growing. It has positioned Delta to deliver another year of strong results, including earnings per share of $6.75 to $7.75, he said.