Thousands of Military members, families and veterans assisted by Delta's Holiday Military Salute

DETROIT, January 18, 2017 – More than 7,000 members of our Armed Forces, their family members and veterans enjoyed the comforts of the Freedom Center military lounges at Detroit Metropolitan Airport during the busy holiday travel season, thanks to Delta Air Lines.

For the third consecutive year, Delta Air Lines sponsored a month-long Holiday Military Salute, underwriting costs for the operations of the two Freedom Center military lounges at DTW.

“Delta Air Lines has a long tradition of supporting military personnel and their families,” said Ken Pratt, of Michigan Armed Forces Hospitality Center, Inc. “Here in Detroit, they have helped us meet the needs of traveling military, family members and veterans since we opened in November 2011.”

“The Freedom Centers at Detroit Metro Airport are greatly appreciated by traveling veterans and their families 365 days a year,” Pratt continued. But it’s especially busy from mid-December through mid-January. Thank you, Delta, for sponsoring the Holiday Military Salute again this year. Together, we are able to continue ‘serving those who serve us.’”

“This world-class facility is a great respite for members of our military and their family members, especially during the holidays,” said Andrea Fischer Newman, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Delta. “Delta is proud to continue supporting the Freedom Center -- and the more than 7,000 military travelers who visited over this past holiday season -- with our Holiday Military Salute.”

As Presenting Sponsor, Delta ensured that military members and their families enjoyed the comforts of a world-class military lounge, including complimentary soft drinks, coffee, juices, bottled water, snacks and sandwiches during their holiday travels.

The airport’s first Freedom Center military lounge was dedicated on Veteran’s Day 2011. A second lounge was opened in the North Terminal in December 2015. Freedom Center lounges are also located within the military entrance processing stations in Troy and Lansing for the benefit of new recruits and their families. In all, Freedom Center lounges have assisted more than 300,000 military members, their family members and veterans since 2011.

Freedom Center volunteers staff the lounges beginning at 6 a.m. until flight operations are completed for the day. The Holiday Military Salute by Delta Air Lines began December 15 and ran for one month, coinciding with the busiest time of the year for Freedom Center. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of the Michigan Armed Forces Hospitality Center, Inc.

-- by CAPT John McCandless, USN (RET)

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About the Michigan Armed Forces Hospitality Center, Inc.: As a Michigan non-profit, MAFHC is dedicated to providing a world-class reception and hospitality station that meets the needs of in-transit military service members. Staffed by volunteers and supported by various organizations, we also welcome retired members of the military and our veterans. In addition, we welcome members of the military from allied nations. The Freedom Center is dedicated to “Serving Those Who Serve Us.” More information is available at: MIFreedomCenter.org.

About Delta Air Lines: Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented six consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 323 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.