SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said Delta Air Lines boss Ed Bastian “will lose his job over this” on 29 September, reacting to leaked comments attributed to the Delta CEO that nobody has verified. The remark itself was reported by Bloomberg and carried by moneycontrol and Mint.
The quotes nobody has verified
The comments at the centre of the row reach the public third-hand. They were posted by JonNYC, the pseudonymous X account @xJonNYC known for leaking airline industry news; Yahoo Finance, citing the aviation blog View from the Wing, said JonNYC cautioned he could not confirm the quotes were accurate. Delta did not respond to requests for comment on Musk’s remarks, and neither did Amazon.
On that account, Bastian addressed the Starlink question at two internal staff events, telling employees: “We do not want to be with Elon Musk. Trust me.” At an earlier event he allegedly said Delta had tested Starlink but declined a deal, then added that “it’s all true what they say about him.”
Key facts
- Delta signed a deal with Amazon Leo in April, according to Yahoo Finance. Amazon renamed the satellite internet network from Project Kuiper in 2025.
- Bastian defended the choice in a May interview with Bloomberg News, saying Amazon Leo offered improved bandwidth at a much lower price point than Starlink. Neither company publishes aviation pricing, and he cited no figures.
- SpaceX has more than 11,000 Starlink satellites in orbit and 12 million active users, per Bloomberg.
- Amazon plans a network of more than 7,000 satellites but has only about 400 in orbit, and its aviation product has not been tested at anything approaching Starlink’s current scale, the same report said.
Why it matters
Internet access has gone from an unreliable add-on that passengers begrudgingly paid for to another front in the competition among airlines for high-spending, loyal customers, according to Bloomberg. Carriers now promise connectivity fast enough to stream movies, join video calls and play online games, making Wi-Fi quality part of the wider fight over the onboard experience. That is the backdrop against which Musk has called the service a must-have for airlines.
Rival airlines pile in
Musk kept the row going on 1 October, highlighting social media posts from American Airlines and United Airlines that sought to capitalise on the dust-up. “Both @United and @AmericanAir have @Starlink!” he wrote on X, sharing competing pitches aimed at travellers considering switching loyalty programmes.
United Airlines
United has made the technology a centrepiece of its onboard upgrades; SpaceX said earlier this year that hundreds of United aircraft were already equipped. The carrier plans Starlink across its fleet by the end of 2027, and promoted the service alongside an offer letting eligible Delta SkyMiles and American AAdvantage members earn comparable United status through January 2028 by meeting spending and flying requirements in a 90-day period.
American Airlines
American plans to begin installing Starlink across more than 500 narrowbody aircraft in early 2027 and pushed its own status-match programme, telling travellers it could “keep you connected at 35k feet with Starlink soon.”
Southwest and the wider rollout
Southwest Airlines is also moving ahead with a rollout, and there are now more than 40 airlines now flying Starlink Wi-Fi.
Amazon Leo’s launch problem
The dispute puts pressure on Amazon to deliver Leo on time, Yahoo Finance said. Its most recent batch of Leo satellites went up in July. Amazon has booked many flights with United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, but one of ULA’s major rockets has been grounded for months over a booster issue. Another Leo provider, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, is still recovering from the May explosion that destroyed the launchpad for its New Glenn rocket; CEO Dave Limp reiterated at a Washington event that the company remains committed to resuming launches by year-end.
That gap is what Musk is pressing. SpaceX adds Starlink satellites on its Falcon 9 rocket sometimes multiple times a week, Bloomberg noted, and on 28 September — the day before the Bastian remark — Starship reached orbit and deployed functioning Starlink satellites for the first time, opening a capacity lane Amazon’s grounded suppliers cannot currently match.
A pattern of public pressure
Going after Bastian fits a Musk habit of forcing Starlink’s commercial setbacks into public view rather than negotiating them quietly. He has used the same register on India’s licensing delays, Times Now reported, writing that the service is licensed in over 165 countries and has spent five years complying with Indian requirements — a claim New Delhi’s communications ministry rejects, calling its satellite framework “fair and non-discriminatory.” Now Starlink says it is ready to launch in India.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ed Bastian’s job actually at risk?
Nothing in the reporting cited here says so. Musk holds no position at Delta, Bastian has been chief executive since 2016 after a long career inside the airline, and none of the reports mention any response from Delta’s board or any review of his position.
When will Delta passengers actually get Amazon Leo Wi-Fi?
Bloomberg, as carried by Mint, put the start of Delta’s Amazon service in 2028, with JetBlue Airways beginning in 2027. Yahoo Finance said Leo will not enter beta testing until 2027.
How did Delta’s share price react to the row with Musk?
Wall Street shrugged it off, according to Yahoo Finance: Delta shares closed 1% higher at $84.87 on 29 September, the day of Musk’s remark, with the stock up 21.5% year to date.
What did Musk say about Delta’s existing in-flight internet?
He followed up on 30 September with a jab at Delta’s current Wi-Fi, joking that a Delta flight is the perfect place to sandbox an artificial intelligence model because it has no internet, Yahoo Finance said.
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