SANTIAGO, CHILE, Nov.14, 2011 – Delta Air Lines’ (NYSE: DAL) signature pink plane, a Boeing 767-400 which represents Delta’s support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), paid its first visit Monday to the Arturo Merino Benitez Airport in Santiago, in partnership with Yo Mujer Corporation, a nonprofit organization that provides emotional support to breast cancer patients and their families.
"Having the pink plane in Chile for the first time helps to raise awareness about breast cancer and early detection,” said Claudia Muñoz, Delta’s sales director for Chile. “As part of our corporate identity, it’s important to support the communities we serve and be actively involved in causes that make a difference in the lives of people.”
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a number of Delta employees participated in the Yo Mujer 7th Annual Run for Life and the company hosted a breast cancer awareness seminar for its employees. After the plane’s arrival here, Delta and Yo Mujer held a meeting with the media to share key information about this condition and how to prevent it. The speakers included two Santiago-based travel agents who are breast cancer survivors.
“We’re very proud of Delta’s support because it attests to our hard work and demonstrates that the business sector recognizes the impact we’re having in the community,” said Anne Cox, president of the Yo Mujer Corporation. “Breast cancer patients endure many challenges and our mission since our inception a decade ago is to let them and their families know that they are not alone, that there is hope.”
Contrary to other countries, in Chile the incidence of breast cancer has risen in the past decade, becoming the most common type of cancer amongst women in the country. When detected in early stages the chances of corrective treatment and survival increase dramatically. This is why Delta invited two survivors to share their experience and talk about auto-exam and early detection.
In the past six years the Pink Plane has visited several Latin American countries, including; Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Other Delta activities in Latin America have included the Nestle’s Together for the Cure Walk/Race across Central America, the Lima Municipality Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign in Peru, and Movimiento Ayuda Cáncer de Mama Argentina (MACMA) educational campaign in Argentina.
As a company, Delta has raised more than $3.5 million for breast cancer research. The company’s donations to the BCRF have funded the work of 12 researchers committed to finding a cure for the disease.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 335 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.
