OREANDA-NEWS. Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today will pay its employees more than a half-billion dollars in earned profit sharing - the highest payout in company history - in recognition for their industry-leading performance in 2013. Employees' individual payouts will equal 8.26 percent of their eligible 2013 earnings.

"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," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "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."

Along with base pay, Delta provides employees with additional compensation elements like profit sharing, designed to allow employees to earn more when the company performs well. Additionally, Delta employees can earn monthly bonuses for meeting corporate operational goals throughout the year, known as Shared Rewards.

In 2013, Delta employees help achieve the corporate financial and operational goals earning USD 91.7 million in Shared Rewards, which, combined with profit sharing, totals USD 598 million in bonus performance pay for the year. Delta has paid out nearly USD 1.7 billion in profit sharing and Shared Rewards during the past four years.

Today, hundreds of employee celebrations are happening at Delta facilities across its global network.