In light of our recent 25 year anniversary of flying to Shannon, I want to take a moment to share with you my special relationship with the city, and the experiences I’ve had these many years at Delta.

I applied as soon as I heard Delta was starting flying into Shannon Ireland from Atlanta in 1986 – I was 19 years old. I remember at the end of my interview I leaned forward in my chair put my hands up in front of me and said “look I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this job” The interviewer leaned back in his chair, laughed and said “that’s the first time I’ve finished an interview like that!”

Audrey (right) at the Shannon Ribbon Cutting, May 9 1986

I got the job and spent three weeks at Gatwick training. I had such great fun and learned all about the position, including how to print a boarding pass which was a recent invention around that time. Before that all the boarding passes were handwritten.

So many things have changed in the world and in our industry since then…

I have worn a number of uniforms through the years. My favorite is still my first one; navy, white blouse and a navy, red and striped tie that clipped onto the blouse. My least favorite was the grey uniform. I was lucky as I had three navy maternity uniforms during my time, but I can’t lie, the grey maternity uniform was not flattering!

When I started there were only two ways of communicating with other stations, the telephone and the ultra-modern (at the time) TTY (telex’s) .The ideas of mobile phones and email were still way off with the idea of someone instantly communicating (like something from Star Trek!). As for blackberries….you ate those. Most things were done manually, even bag tags at check in…and there were even smoking zones on the aircraft.

What hasn’t changed is that our business is all about the passenger. It was back then and is today. The passenger may now be able to book online and check-in on their phones, but the customer service element remains the same.

What I love about working for Delta is the friendships I have formed, working with some of the same wonderful girls for the last twenty five years. I love the fact that when you enter the “office” each day you never know what is ahead of you. To know that customers I have assisted have been happy with the service they have received is what I call job satisfaction. And I hope to continue doing that for many years to come.

Here’s to Shannon!

Audrey Murray

Senior Airport Services Agent – SNN

We know your checked bags have important things in them—your stuff! And we all have a story about how a delayed checked bag quickly put a damper on a business trip or vacation. And while the vast majority of checked bags we travel with arrive as they should, a delayed bag is still a big deal if it happens to you.

So, in a continual effort to improve this system and make traveling better for you, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes on five new projects that will improve your experience, should you find yourself with a delayed bag. Here are the new changes you can expect to see:

1. Proactive notifications if your bag doesn’t travel with you. All you have to do is sign up for Last Minute Updates on delta.com or subscribe to have your contact info included in your reservation. We will call or email you if your bags don’t travel with you.
2. Checked baggage tracking on delta.com. Now every checked bag has visibility if you wish to track its journey. For example, you’ll be able to see that your bags have been loaded on an aircraft.
3. Self-service baggage kiosks in 18 of our busiest airports by year’s end. These look just like our check-in kiosks but they are near our airport baggage service offices and bag carrousels. You can use the kiosk to view a bag’s status, check which carousel bags will arrive on and file a delayed bag claim if necessary.
4. All-online delayed bag claim process. Goodbye paper-based manual process. Hello easier, faster online process directly at delta.com!
5. Rebates for bags lost beyond 12 hours. For the rare occurrence when a bag is delayed more than 12 hours, you can apply on delta.com for a transportation credit voucher rebate for $25 for one bag or $50 for two bags.

All of these improvements are up and running today, and we hope that should you have a delayed bag, we can make the experience smoother and easier for you.

Stephanie L.

Program Manager – Baggage Service Recovery

Today FORTUNE magazine published its 2011 World’s Most Admired Companies industry lists, and we’re flattered (and excited!) to have topped the airline industry rankings. We’ve been making a lot of changes over the past several years — expanding our flying across the globe; giving you a great product, making sure we’re financially sound even in tough times, and of course, taking good care of our employees – the people who take good care of you.

We want to take this opportunity to tip our hats to the Delta people who are the faces, voices and backbone of our airline. They are the ones who you interact with everyday and make sure you safely get where you’re going. This recognition couldn’t have happened without their hard work.

While we’re proud to have led the pack and our efforts are being recognized, we’re not done yet. We’re continuing to improve our airline for you, and we promise to Keep Climbing!

After all, at the end of the day, this recognition really wouldn’t have been possible without you, our loyal customers.

You can read more about the annual FORTUNE World’s Most Admired Companies airlines list on their website.