You won't find Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian waiting at the head of the boarding queue; he's typically far from it.
TL;DR
- Delta CEO Ed Bastian disregards advice to be unapproachable, staying public and accessible to customers.
- Bastian frequently flies coach, reviews thousands of daily emails, and prioritizes employee well-being.
- Delta's success is attributed to its 100,000 employees, with significant profit-sharing initiatives.
- Bastian emphasizes listening and making tough decisions as key leadership principles.
“I’m terrible,” Bastian admitted during an offstage interview last week at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I’m one of the last people to get on board the flight, and our team’s always rushing to make sure that I’m there because planes will not wait for me.”
For almost ten years, 68-year-old Bastian has led America's premier profitable airline, guiding the Fortune 500 conglomerate through challenges such as 9/11, bankruptcy, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Bastian joined Delta in 1998 and advanced through six leadership positions before taking the CEO role in 2016, though he didn't follow all the guidance he got on how to be the chief executive.
“The worst advice I ever received was [from] a former mentor who told me when I became CEO, I needed to create a unique identity, something that people couldn’t find me,” Bastian said. “He told me I’ll never have a moment of peace because I was too public.”
Bastian listened, but chose not to follow the recommendation: “I thanked him for that, and I did not do that.”
Bastian reports his inbox is inundated with thousands of emails daily, and he frequently dedicates flight time to reviewing customer feedback. He likens himself to a “point guard” directing traffic to resolve issues.
“I only have one email, only have one phone, and as a result of that, I’m always in touch with our people, our customers, our community,” he said. However, customers frequently doubt they're truly interacting with the genuine Bastian.
“They’ll think I’m some kind of fancy bot, and they’ll respond, ‘Wow, you’ve got a great agentic device there,’” he joked. I state, "No, it's me. "It's a boring Saturday afternoon, and I'm just going through my emails."
Delta's CEO frequently surprises passengers by sitting in economy, eagerly anticipating Biscoff cookies and a Coke Zero from the snack cart, even when traveling in person.
“Many times when I travel, I’m sitting in coach,” Bastian said. “It’s always interesting because customers come back and say, ‘Why are you back here?’ And I say, ‘That’s about what my ticket could afford,’ and [I’m] usually next to the restroom.” To be sure, Bastian’s current The compensation package totals approximately $27 million, though airline executives occasionally find themselves flying coach when first-class seats are unavailable.
Delta's employee-centric approach
Fresh off a strong third-quarter earnings release with $15.2 billion in record September revenue, Bastian told Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell on stage Delta’s success hinges not on planes Or technology, but rather on its individuals.
“In our business, everyone focuses on the airline, the aircraft, the technology, the airports, the amazing destinations we get to,” he said. “But it’s the staff that bring it to life.”.
Following announcing, the Atlanta-based airline's inaugural non-stop services connecting the U.S. And Riyadh alongside Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, Bastian added he “obsesses” over his 100,000 employees “so that they can then go do the amazing work that our customers deserve.”
“If your people don’t feel that love and respect and care, they’re never going to be able to give you the service that you expect,” Bastian said.
The strategy has proven successful, with Delta securing the top position. 15 on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, and No. Ranked 70th on this year's Fortune 500 roster as the most profitable company in the U.S. The airline is performing better than rivals such as American, United, and Southwest.
Bastian's emphasis on people is evident in more than just his guiding principles. The individual who would later become CEO was instrumental in creating one of U.S. Corporate history's most substantial profit-sharing initiatives back in 2007, when he was still the chief financial officer. Following a 19-month bankruptcy, Delta committed to giving its employees billions in bonuses annually, provided the company met its objectives. In 2024, employee shares were valued at totaled $1.4 billion, representing approximately 10% of their base salary.
“Rewarding our people is fundamental to who we are at Delta,” Bastian wrote in a February statement announcing the payouts. It's consistently my top The Delta team is the top priority.
Advice on leadership from Delta's CEO
Bastian, the longest-serving chief executive of a major U.S. Company, was interviewed backstage at the Fortune Global Forum. The aviation industry's influence was evident in his professional path, and he shared advice for aspiring leaders: “Leadership is not a popularity contest.”
“We all want to be liked, we all want to be loved,” he said. “But leadership involves also making hard choices, hard decisions with a lot of respect and confidence.”
Earlier this year, Bastian confirmed to Fortune’s Shawn Tully that Delta’s board has named an internal candidate as his successor, marking the first time he publicly disclosed this contingency plan, but emphasized he still has “a number of years to go,” adding, “This is not a swan song.”
Bastian states that of all the business counsel he's been given throughout the years, the most significant guidance originated from his late mother: “She told us, growing up, you’ve got two ears and one mouth, use them accordingly.”
He explained that in business, leaders often focus on sending messages rather than listening: “We don’t take enough time to learn, to listen, to be able to make sure we understand each other.”
For Bastian, cultivating strong relationships and fostering both personal and professional development are essential skills.
“You learn a lot more,” he said. “That curiosity really is one of the hallmarks, I believe, of my career.”