Delta Air Lines Named 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World Magazine

Delta Air Lines was named 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine. This is the first time in a decade that a U.S. carrier was given the title.

The ATW awards are coveted and valued honors in the airline industry. The 40th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Singapore in February. The winners will be featured in a special section of the ATW March edition.

"It's an honor to have the hard work of Delta people recognized with the Airline of the Year award from Air Transport World," said Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer. "Our values and culture are the foundation for our success. The professionalism and commitment of Delta people to our company, to one another and to our customers is unmatched."

Delta was chosen as Airline of the Year for its leadership in several categories including innovation and leadership by executive management; strong financial discipline; a consistent and excellent safety record; proven leadership in community, environmental and technological endeavors; consistent high standards of customer service; and excellent employee relations.

"The airline industry, here in the U.S. and globally, has never been as competitive, so when ATW editors make their Airline of the Year selection they focus on those airlines whose leadership truly stand out from the crowd through strong financial discipline, innovative thinking, superb operational and customer service standards, and excellent employee relations, said ATW Editor-in-Chief Karen Walker. "Delta clearly met all those standards and has demonstrable, measurable statistics to prove it. Delta and its employees thoroughly deserve this award and I congratulate them on their achievements."

This isn't the only honor Delta received recently. It was also named the No. 1 airline n the Fortune magazine "Most Admired" global airline industry list for the second time in three years, received the No. 1 ranking in the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey for the third year in a row and was recognized as Best Domestic Airline at Travel Weekly Reader's Choice Awards.