OREANDA-NEWS. February 23, 2016. For the fourth time in a week, Delta is celebrating an accolade – this time from Fortune Magazine. Friday morning, Fortune named Delta to its Most Admired Companies list for the third straight year.

Delta came in at No. 30 on the list, up nine spots from No. 39 in 2015. Delta was also named Fortune’s Most Admired Airline after coming in at No. 1 on the airline industry list for the fifth time in the past six years.

With its appearance on the Most Admired Companies list, Delta earns a spot among the world’s leading brands, including tech giants like Apple and Amazon as well as established brands like American Express, Coca-Cola and Boeing. Delta debuted on the Most Admired Companies list at No. 48 in 2014 and moved up nine spots to No. 39 in 2015.

“In just the past week, we’ve celebrated the largest profit sharing payout in U.S. history, set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest “Thank You” card to our employees, achieved our goal of attaining an investment grade rating and validated our position among the world’s most admired brands,” said Delta President and incoming CEO Ed Bastian in a memo sent to employees today. “It is your unmatched dedication to our customers and unwavering pursuit of excellence in every area of our business that have earned these accolades. And it is those qualities that will propel us even further.”

Each year, Fortune surveys top executives and directors across all industries to identify the 10 companies they most admire, regardless of industry. The airline rankings are based on the results of a global survey of airline executives, boards of directors and industry analysts who are asked to rate companies in their industry based on set criteria, which includes innovation, long-term investment value and global competitiveness.

So what makes Delta an admired company? Fortune’s list is viewed as a ranking of corporate reputation. The airline earned the No. 1 spot in all but one of the nine attributes of corporate reputation measured by Fortune in 2016, including Innovation, People Management, Use of Corporate Assets, Quality of Management, Financial Soundness, Long-Term Investment Value, Quality of Products and Services and Global Competitiveness. Delta came in at No. 2 for Social Responsibility.

In his memo, Bastian thanked and credited Delta employees for the award.

“Because of you, Delta has earned a reputation for world-class customer service, unprecedented operational excellence and a culture that puts people first and distinguishes us from our competitors.”

Southwest Airlines was the only other airline to appear on the top 50 Most Admired Companies list despite coming in at No. 5 on the airline list, while Singapore Airlines came in at No. 2 on the airline industry list but dropped out of the top 50 Most Admired Companies altogether. Delta partner Air France-KLM came in at No. 3 on the airline industry list, while United Airlines came in at No. 4. American Airlines finished at No. 14 on the airline list.

What makes Delta an admired company?

The airline earned the No. 1 spot in all but one of the nine attributes of corporate reputation measured by Fortune in 2016:

  • Innovation
  • People Management
  • Use of Corporate Assets
  • Quality of Management
  • Financial Soundness
  • Long-Term Investment Value
  • Quality of Products and Services
  • Global Competitiveness