Delta Air Lines makes major contributions for Irma relief

Atlanta-headquartered Delta Air Lines has announced contributions totaling $1.1 million to help aid the hundreds of thousands of people affected by Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm on record.

Delta (NYSE:DAL), which already supports the American Red Cross (ARC) on an on-going basis, will make an additional contribution of $1 million to the ARC. The carrier is also contributing $100,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world's largest humanitarian network, to support relief efforts in the hardest hit areas, such as St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean.

Both organizations are already assisting disaster victims in the affected areas and are mobilizing more personnel to assist in their efforts.

Delta flight departs SEA
"Serving people, whether they are our customers or our neighbors in the communities where we live, work and serve, is part of Delta's DNA," Tad Hutcheson, Managing Director – Community Engagement, said in a statement announcing the donations. "The destruction left by Hurricane Irma is massive, and we want to do more to help those in need. The most effective way we can help is by investing in organizations involved in disaster relief year-round."

The contributions just announced are in addition to the $1 million grant to the American Red Cross as an Annual Disaster Giving Program partner and the $250,000 previous donation to support relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey in Texas from The Delta Air Lines Foundation. Delta's support of the American Red Cross – through its $2.25 million total donation for this year– will help the agency meet the unprecedented disaster response needs wrought by the back-to-back disasters of Irma and Harvey.

Customers can support relief efforts for hurricane victims by donating miles to the Red Cross through SkyWish, the charitable arm of Delta's loyalty program SkyMiles. Delta will match donations up to 10 million miles. Customers can also donate through Delta's Customer Microsite, created in partnership with the Red Cross. Donations will go toward immediate relief needs.

My take

A journalist’s job does not include being a cheerleader for any organization. The focus of TheTravelPro is travel news and reviews, news about travel providers, and developments and trends in the travel industry.

That said, I believe this action by Delta deserves to be recognized. The airline took action quickly, a feat that many corporations simply can’t seem to manage. They are rising to the occasion, helping meet a very real need, and quite literally giving back to the communities it serves.

For that, Delta deserves a hearty, “Well done!”

Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.



Photo by Carl Dombek
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