Delta Air Lines is doling out $1.3 billion in annual profit sharing.
This marks the second-largest payout in company history to be spread between the airline's global workforce of 80,000. In 2016, the company paid out $1.5 billion in profits to employees for the airline's performance in 2015.
Announcing the profit share total on Valentine's Day is an annual tradition at the Atlanta-based airline. This is the fifth consecutive year Delta's profit sharing exceeded $1 billion.
The U.S. airline industry is experiencing a prolonged period of growth and Delta for several years has posted the highest profit among its peers.
This year, each Delta employee gets a bonus equal to 14 percent of their annual pay. The payout is formulated from Delta's 2018 pre-tax income of $5.2 billion.
In recent years, Delta tinkered with its profit-sharing model before landing on an arrangement that gives non-union workers the same payout structure as its unionized pilots.
Delta has been the dominant carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport since it merged with Northwest Airlines 10 years ago. The number of local employees has slightly dwindled over the years, but it has maintained a large flight operation and crew base at MSP.
