Delta CEO Ed Bastian says Delta’s decision to pass on Starlink Wi-Fi was not personal. Bastian was asked on CNBC on Friday, October 9, whether Musk was behind the decision. He replied “I drive a Tesla,” according to Live and Let’s Fly, which reported the interview. It came the same morning Delta reported its September-quarter results. Tesla North’s write-up says he also described it as no tit-for-tat from his side.
How the feud began
The row grew after Musk replied to a post about Delta, writing that Bastian “will lose his job over this,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Bloomberg also covered the exchange on October 2. Delta said it “leads the industry in Wi-Fi.” We covered the dispute in Musk vs Delta: What Is Behind the Starlink Wi-Fi Feud.
What Bastian said
Bastian said Delta tested Starlink, but Starlink was not ready to scale when Delta was. Fox Business reported in April 2022 that Bastian confirmed Delta had tested Starlink. He called himself a big fan of Starlink, said the two sides disagreed on the business model, including access to customers, and gave no further detail. On Musk’s prediction that he would lose his job, he said he pays no attention to it. Delta chose Amazon’s Leo satellite service in March, starting with 500 aircraft in 2028, according to Tesla North.
Our take: Bastian says the split was about business terms and access to customers, and he gave no details. Musk may reply, and that would be the next thing to watch, along with any detail on what Delta and Starlink could not agree on.
