For the 20th consecutive year, Marriott International, Inc. is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. Marriott ranked #33 on the list, which is based on employee ratings of their workplace culture, including trust in their leaders, pride in their jobs and camaraderie with co-workers.

In announcing the 20th anniversary 100 Best list, research and consulting firm Great Place to Work and Fortune revealed that Marriott is also being recognised as one of the Great Place to Work Legends for having appeared on the list every year since the ranking was first published.

“Since the founding of our company, associates have lived our core value of putting people first. They have contributed to creating a family-like, inclusive culture that welcomes all guests and has led to business success,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and CEO. “We are deeply honoured to have been recognised by Fortune each year since the list was established in 1998.”

Great Place to Work research shows that list winners outperform the stock market, beat industry rivals when it comes to talent retention and demonstrate higher levels of productivity than peers. Marriott’s own studies show that when associates are highly engaged it has a positive impact on productivity, retention and guest relations.

“Our company culture is the most important element for attracting and retaining top talent and ensuring future success,” said David Rodriguez, executive vice president and global chief human resources officer. “Our TakeCare commitment to associate wellbeing and happiness helps associates live their best lives and drives our business success.”

“We are proud of the Great Place to Work Legends,” said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. “These companies have done the hard work of creating, maintaining and improving a culture that puts people at the centre. And they have reaped the business advantages that come with high-trust workplace relationships.”

Google tops the list and is recognised as the best company to work for. Hilton Worldwide is at the 26^th spot on the list. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts also features on the list at 79^th spot. The chain has also been recognised on many other occasions as an employer of choice, hiring and developing local talent. Delta Air Lines is the only airline to feature on the yearly list ranking no 63 on the list. The carrier was also recently named one of the Fortune magazine’s most admired companies for the fourth consecutive year.

You can find the full list here.

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Delta Airlines has been on the spree to make available the state-of-the-art technology to the customers. In yet another attempt to surpass its own standards Delta has decided to keep fueling its customers by committing to 2Ku, the fastest connectivity experience in the sky, by at least 350 aircraft. 2Ku is Gogo’s industry-leading in-flight Wi-Fi technology that provides consistent, uninterrupted coverage nearly anywhere in the world, including over oceans. This brings Delta’s total 2Ku commitment to more than 600 aircraft in its mainline fleet.

Installation of 2Ku will present customers with faster speeds and bandwidth more than 20 measures that of Gogo’s ATG technology, allowing for video streaming purposes. This summer, customers will be able to use Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment from taxi and take-off through landing on 2Ku empowered aircraft.

Delta operates the world’s largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet, with more than 3,500 connected flights daily, together with its entire fleet of 660 domestic mainline aircraft. More than 1,000 Delta aircraft, including a good number of Delta Connection two-class regional jets and 99 percent of its international fleet are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi service, offering access to more than 370,000 customers per day.

“Delta customers have expressed an interest in their time in the air being as productive as their time on the ground, and 2Ku satellite offers a vastly upgraded in-flight Wi-Fi experience,” said Tim Mapes, Delta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “By committing to more aircraft with 2Ku technology, we’re providing Delta customers with faster and more reliable in-flight connectivity as a part of Delta’s commitment to always delivering the industry’s best onboard services.”

Delta Airlines rolled out its baggage handling RFID technology lately which has gained accolades around the world to substitute the old-fashioned barcode scanning system. 2Ku installations have already started on the 737-800 and A319 fleets, and additional Delta fleets will be retrofitted with the new system. By the end of this year, it aims to enable around 35 aircraft with 2Ku technology fully operational.

2Ku is next-generation technology that uses dual Ku-band satellite antennas – one receiver for the upward link to the aircraft, and the other for the downward, return link to the ground and presents reduced drag and fuel burn compared to other Wi-Fi systems. Gogo started working on its satellite-based service, 2Ku and in February signed a deal with satellite operator SES to provide capacity. Gogo has put forward a 2Ku proposal for 200 aircraft for AA, although no decisions have been made yet, Gogo president Michael Small said in a statement to Reuters.

Wi-Fi on U.S. domestic routes is already widespread although air-to-ground (ATG) technology can mean service is slow. Gogo’s 2Ku technology is designed to be open so it’s compatible with multiple satellite networks, which means the technology will be upgradeable over time without having to upgrade the aircraft. This flexibility will help ensure Delta is future ready and ahead of the curve from a technology perspective.

Competition from new satellite-based services has put more established aviation connectivity providers under pressure. In the cabin, having Wi-Fi connected systems also makes for easier upgrades of in-flight entertainment and can bring in more revenues from entertainment, services and advertising. Delta is on a lookout for an edge above others and let us watch them what they have in future for us.

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Delta airlines have come up with deploying  Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology providing customers with real-time tracking of luggage throughout the travel experience.

This is a big move in the history of luggage handling as the RFID would replace bar code hand scanning- the standards industry has been using since the early 90s. Scanners use radio waves to capture highly accurate and consistent data stored on a RFID chip embedded in the luggage tag, driving superior tracking and increased transparency.

Image by Franco Folini / CC BY 2.0

The Fly Delta mobile app enables the flyers to see their luggage on and off via push notifications using this technology. Initial deployments of RFID integrated through the baggage process show that the bags are tracked at 99.9% accuracy, to ensure proper routeing and loading.

“With a $50 million investment in RFID at 344 stations around the globe, we aim to reliably deliver every bag on every flight,” said Bill Lentsch, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Airport Customer Service and Cargo Operations. “This innovative application of technology gives us greater data and more precise information throughout the bag’s journey.”

Delta has currently been successful in deploying 4600 scanners, 3800 RFID bag tag printers, and claim readers to enable hands-free scanning of baggage throughout the handling process. RFID would soon track bags on all Delta airlines and Delta Connection flights.

84 of Delta’s largest airport stations, 1500 belt loaders will give baggage the green light on successful handling to the correct aircraft and red light if the luggage needs additional handling. With this technology, there is no chance a flyer misses his connection because of the ability to take the inventory quickly or pinpoint a single bag. Manual retagging of the luggage will be history.

Better baggage handling and enhanced technology have shrunk the mishandled bag rate by 68% over the past decade. In 2015, Delta led U.S. global airlines in DOT bag performance while setting six monthly DOT records and a full year record.

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