‘I drive a Tesla’: After Elon Musk said he’d lose his job, Delta CEO Ed Bastian says there’s ‘no tit for tat’ as airline unveils earnings miss
Source: Fortune ·
Bastian says the Starlink snub was business, not personal, as a 62% fuel jump led to Delta’s first earnings miss in two years.
From the source
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said he isn’t feuding with Elon Musk, even after the SpaceX founder predicted he would lose his job. “There’s no tit for tat as far as I’m concerned,” Bastian told CNBC’s Phil LeBeau on Squawk Box on Friday, when asked whether he passed on SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi because he didn’t want to work with Musk. “I’m a big fan of Starlink. I drive a Tesla.” He added: “This nonsense about it being personal is not true at all. The reality is, Delta is the global pioneer in launching free and fast Wi-Fi as the industry standard.” Asked about Musk’s post that he would lose his job, Bastian said, “I don’t pay any attention.” The first missed earnings report in two years The interview came as Delta missed Wall Street earnings estimates for the first time in two years and cut its 2026 profit forecast. Jet fuel prices have surged since the Iran war started in February, and as a result, Delta’s adjusted fuel expense rose 62% from a year earlier to $4.1 billion in the…