Outlines The Airline's Efforts In Environmental Protection, Safety, Social Responsibility

Delta Air Lines says its 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report details the company's performance in the areas of the environment, safety and community responsibility over the past two years. The report, which is the first overview of the airline's corporate responsibility efforts since Delta's merger with Northwest Airlines, was released to the public this week.

"This report makes it clear that we have an ongoing, everyday commitment to the environment, the communities we serve, the safety of our employees and customers and to holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards," said Helen Howes, Delta's managing director – Safety Health and Environment. "We're proud of the progress we've made, but are also committed to achieving even more in the months and years ahead."

According to the report, Delta has reduced its annual CO2 emissions of 16.5 million metric tons since 2000. It has also implemented the industry's first comprehensive in-flight recycling program, which diverted more than 2,000 tons of waste from landfills. A company-wide recycling program captured 58 percent of the two million pounds of non-hazardous waste generated by the airline in 2009, which the airline says is a 22 percent improvement compared with 2007.

The report also points out a 10 percent improvement in Delta's occupational injury and illness rate. The airline also operates 12 workplace locations nationwide that have achieved "Star Status" awarded by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program. It also highlights a continued partnership with Habitat for Humanity International in Delta's hub and key cities, with more than 2,200 employees involved in building houses in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, New York and Chiang Mai, Thailand, and support for organizations including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, the American Red Cross, CARE and UNICEF.

FMI: www.delta-air.com