Elon Musk publicly criticized Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian following reports that the airline rejected a partnership with Starlink. Musk stated on X that Bastian would lose his job over the decision. The comments followed reports from the account JonNYC, which alleged that Bastian told staff he did not want to work with Musk and confirmed the airline had tested but declined the satellite service.
Instead of Starlink, Delta signed an agreement with Amazon Leo in April. The service, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is not expected to enter beta testing until 2027. This leaves Delta behind competitors like United, which already provide Starlink connectivity on long-haul flights. Musk also mocked Delta’s current inflight Wi-Fi, suggesting it was suitable for sandboxing AI models due to its lack of internet access.
Despite the public dispute, Delta’s stock performance remains stable. Shares closed 1% higher at $84.87 on Tuesday, marking a 21.5% increase year-to-date. Wall Street analysts have largely ignored the conflict, though the situation increases pressure on Amazon to meet its deployment timeline for the Leo satellite network.
