Delta Air Lines is 2014 Airline of the Year

U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines has been named as the '2014 Airline of the Year' by the Air Transport World magazine. It's been 10 years since the award was given to an American airline company.

ATW conferred the award to Delta as it rose to conquer many of its judging 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.

"It's an honor to have the hard work of Delta people recognized with the Airline of the Year award from Air Transport World," Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer, said. "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 Air Lines, according to Seeking Alpha, lists as one among few airlines holding extensive US domestic and international network. It has nearly 4000 flights per day and serves nearly 165 million customers annually.

Karen Walker, ATW Editor-in-Chief, said Delta has demonstrable, measurable statistics to prove it is deserving of the award.

"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," she said.

Other winners of the 40^th Airline Industry Achievement Awards include Etihad Airways (Market Leadership), WestJet (Value Airline of the Year), SkyWest (Regional Airline of the Year), JetBlue Airways (Technology Leadership) and Singapore Changi Airport (Airport of the Year).