US Major carrier Delta Air Lines (DL) will complete a centenary of operations next year (2025) in March. The world’s largest commercial operator by fleet size, Delta flies a mix of 992 Airbus and Boeing aircraft with an additional 297 more on order.
With flights to 242 destinations in 52 countries from nine operating bases across the United States, it is one of the world’s most popular and America’s finest carriers. At the head of it is Delta CEO Ed Bastian and here is everything you need to know about him.
Who is Delta CEO Ed Bastian?
Delta CEO Ed Bastien was born in New York in 1957 and is an accounting graduate from St. Bonaventure University. He started his career working for PwC before venturing into the F&B industry in roles with PepsiCo and FritoLay.
He joined Delta in 1998 as a vice president of their finance and controller department prior to ascending to the role of president in 2007, and subsequently earning a promotion to the post of CEO in 2016 – thereby becoming the first CEO the airline internally appointed in its history.
Currently, he lives in Atlanta for his role and regularly shuttles to Florida as well for his family.
Delta CEO Salary
Ed Bastian was appointed as the Delta CEO in 2016 and has been one of the company’s most successful heads, primarily being lauded for their sustainability through and following the coronavirus pandemic, which was extremely detrimental to the travel industry as a whole.
Bastian is a public supporter of the Donald Trump government as he believes his election as the president will be beneficial for the American airline industry. He also played a crucial role when a number of US airlines sued the Department of Transportation under the Joe Biden administration for its disclosure of fee rules.
As far as his salary goes, he is paid a base amount of $950,000 per annum although he did pocket a windfall in 2023 which took his overall compensation for the year to $34 million.
Much of Bastian’s compensation was a one-off payment for his lengthy service towards the airline and an incentivized bonus for guiding the airline smoothly through the COVID pandemic.
He received $17 million in stock awards, $9.6 million in bonuses, and a further $6 million in other incentives, according to a breakdown provided by The Atalanta Journal-Constitution.
Salaries of other US airline CEOs
Delta CEO Ed Bastian led the charts for being the best-paid US airline CEO in 2023, ahead of his counterparts from competitors like American Airlines (AA) and United Airlines (UA).
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom ranked second on the list as his final payout for the entirety of 2023 amounted to $31.2 million, nearly 70% of the amount earned by the third-placed United Airlines CEO Scott Kirkby’s $18.6 million. Southwest’s (WN) CEO Bob Jordan earned $9.3 million in 2023 to cap off the list of the top four American airlines.
The top dollars belonged to airline CEOs in 2023 were several times the amount they earned in years prior as a result of carriers around the globe making strong financial recoveries following the pandemic and its enforced losses.
Delta’s Plans for 2025
Delta is predicting more growth in 2025 as it gears up for next year, the airline’s bosses revealed on its Investor Day last Wednesday.
Ed Bastian believes that millennials and wealthier travelers are going to drive money into the airline, so plans will be catered more in accordance with them, while premium offerings mostly booked by the richer group are Delta’s cash cow.
There is strength in premium economy and business class cabins, Delta believes, which will be aided by the airline’s loyalty program. It is expected that SkyMiles passengers bring in about 60% of the airline’s revenue next year, of which 85% of passengers fly premium cabins.
There is also a plan to add more premium seats on Delta’s Airbus A350-900s as the board’s projection sees them expecting premium cabin bookings to usurp economy class by 2027.
Lastly, Bastian remains optimistic about 2025 and beyond due to the re-election of the Trump administration. There is renewed hope that the airline industry will be easier to operate in, with lesser regulatory requirements as compared to the system under Biden as well as rules that will be more favorable to airlines than customers.
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