Ed Bastian: When I first became CEO of Delta eight years ago, I was given the advice to not have a public email address. While the advice was well-intentioned, I almost immediately chose to disregard it – I’ve had the same email for years, and I wanted to make sure people could contact me. So I currently get dozens of emails from customers, employees and fans of Delta every single day. This way, I always know what’s going on in our operation, and if somebody needs assistance, I’m always happy to do what I can to expedite a request or make a helpful connection.
While I do get some complaints, it’s far more common to receive praise and compliments for the world-class service that our Delta team members provide. It’s an honor to be able to receive these notes and to be sure the team receives the kudos they deserve.
Ed Bastian: Do a great job with the role you’re currently in. It can be easy to focus on the next step, but I learned early on in my career that the most important job you’ll ever have is the one you are currently in. Make the most of it and show up every day ready to be the best you
can be.
At Delta, we also practice a servant leadership philosophy. It’s really important for our leaders to understand the needs of their teams and be able to show up and jump in no matter how big or small the task. The No. 1 priority of our leadership team is to support our frontline people, who take care of our customers every day. This goes back to our founder C.E. Woolman’s philosophy: “No one person is an airline. An airline is a team. It must be friendly, courteous, cooperative, efficient and bound as closely as a devoted family.”
Ed Bastian: I always tell young people to be open minded and try new things. I first started my career in New York City in accounting, and I certainly didn’t have aspirations to become an airline CEO. I didn’t even set foot on an airplane until I was 25 and my first international business trip wasn’t until age 30.
When I chose to join Delta more than 25 years ago, I had so much to learn about the airline industry. I’m grateful I took the risk to try something new. It’s important to not be afraid of the unknown.
Ed Bastian: Air travel can be a challenging, intensely competitive business. It’s not for the faint of heart. From bankruptcy to a potential hostile takeover by US Airways to the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve personally witnessed some of the most difficult moments the airline industry has ever endured. When you look back at the history of our industry, countless airlines have come and gone but Delta continues to keep climbing.
At the onset of the pandemic, I was going through a challenging time as I was incredibly worried about my family, the Delta team and our business at large. I was also going through a very difficult time in my personal life. My mother was my role model, and she passed away in early 2020 at same time that our business was failing. While I wanted to throw my hands up and quit, I was given great advice from our former Chairman, Frank Blake, who shared what’s now my favorite quote: “Crises don’t build character. They reveal character.” With this in mind, I continued to show up every day and focus on my top priority: To take care of Delta people.
Flash forward to 2025, Delta is celebrating our Centennial and we’re better than ever before. We kicked off our birthday celebrations at Sphere in Las Vegas for CES 2025 earlier this month. I’m so proud of what the Delta team can accomplish when we work — both in good times and in bad.
Running an airline is the ultimate team sport, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a member of the world’s best team of 100,000 aviation professionals.
