Delta Air Lines gives employees highest-ever profit-sharing

It's a good day for nearly 80,000 Delta Air Lines employees, who will get the company's biggest-ever profit-sharing checks for last year's performance.

Delta, which has a major hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and other operations around the state, said the profit-sharing checks will total $506.3 million based on 2013 financial results.

"Thank you to Delta's nearly 80,000 people worldwide who made 2013 a banner year for Delta through the strong work ethic and values they demonstrate every day," Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a statement. "This year's profit-sharing payment is a reflection of their hard work and of our conviction that if we take care of our employees, they take care of our customers and that enables our share­owners to succeed."

Employees will get checks equal to 8.26 percent of their eligible earnings last year. Delta earned $10.5 billion in 2013 on revenue of $37.8 billion.

Profit-sharing at Delta is in addition to monthly employee bonuses that last year totaled $91.7 million.

Delta said that over the last four years it has paid employees profit-sharing and monthly bonuses of $1.7 billion.

In 2012, Delta profit-sharing totaled $372 million, partly because it was based on a lower percentage of workers' eligible earnings, 6.67 percent. Other bonuses totaled $91 million in 2012.

Steve Alexander • 612-673-4553