Ten days after Delta took home an award at the Business Travel Awards in London, the airline has received another European accolade. Delta is now the Best Airline for Business Travel in Italy following the Italian Mission Awards (IMA) 2021, which took place Monday in Milan.
The judges praised Delta for its pioneering COVID-tested fights between the U.S. and Italy, which began last December. "This award is for the commitment to offering COVID-free flights as well as its wide network of connections thanks to Delta's alliances and strategic partnerships, excellent loyalty program and strong focus on sustainability," the judges added.
The IMAs recognize excellence throughout the business travel sector and are judged by travel managers and members of the press. Delta previously won Best Airline for Business Travelers – Routes to the Americas in 2020 and 2018, as well as Best Long-Haul Airline for International Business Travelers in 2016 and 2014.
"We are honored to receive this IMA award in recognition of the commitment and confidence in Delta and our people around the world," said Frederic Schenk, Regional Sales Manager, Southern Europe. "The global travel industry has seen that throughout the pandemic we have continued to invest in customer experience, technology and more sustainable practices, while also focusing on protecting the health of passengers and colleagues."
A recent peer-reviewed study examined real-world customer data on our COVID-tested flight corridors between New York-JFK, Atlanta and Rome Fiumicino International Airport. It showed that a single COVID-19 molecular test performed within 72 hours of departure could decrease the rate of people actively infected onboard a commercial aircraft to a level that is significantly below active community infection rates. The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings and conducted by the Georgia Department of Health and Mayo Clinic in conjunction with Delta, found that when the average community infection rate was at 1.1%, infection rates on our COVID-19-tested flights were 0.05%.