Delta rejects Starlink for Amazon Leo as Musk attacks Bastian

United and American extend status matches amid in-flight Wi-Fi competition

Elon Musk has spent days attacking Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on his social media platform X, writing this week that Bastian “will lose his job over this” and accusing him of deliberately damaging the company. The remarks, posted in response to unconfirmed reports that Bastian had criticized Musk’s reputation at employee meetings, have escalated a months-long online dispute into a public fight over which satellite-internet provider will supply Wi-Fi on America’s airlines.

The trigger for Musk’s anger: Delta, the most profitable U.S. airline, rejected Starlink earlier this year in favor of Amazon’s Leo satellite-internet business, striking a deal to equip an initial 500 planes. The agreement gives Amazon a marquee customer at a moment when in-flight Wi-Fi has become a critical amenity for carriers and a competitive focus for satellite providers.

Industry observer JonNYC posted on X earlier this week alleged remarks from Bastian in which the Delta CEO reportedly criticized Musk’s reputation and suggested Delta would not want to work with him. JonNYC said he could not verify the comments. Delta declined to comment on the remarks or on whether Bastian made them.

Musk’s response turned personal this week. “Any CEO who deliberately damages the company he runs due to some random personal gripe doesn’t deserve to run their company!” he posted on Thursday. Earlier in the week he wrote: “Best way to sandbox an AI is to put it on a Delta flight – it will have no chance of accessing the Internet!” — echoing a joke made by another user.

The dispute extends a pattern of public attacks Musk has directed at Delta since May, when he wrote on X that “Delta wanted to make it painful, difficult and expensive for their customers. Hard to see how that is a winning strategy.”

Delta and Bastian have largely declined to engage. The airline declined to comment on Musk’s recent posts. When asked in May, Bastian played down the criticism, telling Bloomberg: “Of course, we expect Starlink will be warning people that we’re going to go with an inferior product. But I’m not too worried about partnering with Amazon.”

Bastian had defended the Amazon deal at the time it was announced, saying Leo would be just as fast as Starlink and more cost-effective, and that partnering with Amazon would allow Delta to build on its use of Amazon Web Services and to take advantage of Amazon’s capabilities in retailing, gaming and video. Amazon’s Leo satellite-internet business is far behind Starlink in getting satellites into space, and Delta’s service will not begin until 2028.

Delta tested Starlink’s service years ago but held off. The airline says most of its planes now have “streaming quality” connectivity through providers Viasat and Hughes Network Systems. Delta also led the way in nixing Wi-Fi fees at a time when, among U.S. airlines, only JetBlue Airways offered it free. Delta is accustomed to setting the standard for passenger experience and blazed the trail for premium seating and luxury lounges that rivals now copy.

Rival airlines have moved to capitalize on the public spat. United Airlines, which has Starlink available on nearly half of its daily flights and expects to finish outfitting its fleet by the end of next year, extended an offer this week to match frequent-flier status for Delta and American customers curious to test the service. “Don’t keep buffering,” it wrote on the website where fliers can apply. American Airlines, which plans to start installing Starlink on hundreds of planes next year, posted a link to its own status-match offer, “for anyone suddenly considering their airline loyalty.” Frontier Airlines, a budget carrier, reminded travelers it is getting Starlink next year.

The public dispute is the latest in a series of clashes between Musk and airline chief executives. Musk has a history of feuding with executives, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, with whom Musk later patched things up. Earlier this year, Musk called for Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary to be fired and threatened to buy the discount carrier in order to oust him, after O’Leary said Starlink was too expensive and Ryanair had no plans to install it. Musk called O’Leary an “insufferable, special needs chimp” on X. O’Leary responded on Irish radio that Musk was “an idiot. Very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot.” Ryanair, which has a habit of pouncing on free publicity, then launched what it dubbed its “Big ‘Idiot’ Seat Sale.” O’Leary remains in charge of Ryanair.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, now one of Starlink’s biggest boosters, also drew Musk’s ire before United became a customer. Musk engaged with posts criticizing United’s diversity efforts and mocking Kirby. After United became a Starlink customer, the company said it was aware of the posts but believed Starlink would benefit customers.

The fight plays out as in-flight Wi-Fi, long one of the most complained-about parts of air travel, has become a key competitive arena. Slow and expensive, the service has long been one of the most annoying parts of flying, and passengers sometimes cannot log on at all. Free, fast in-flight internet has become a critical amenity for airlines trying to set themselves apart from the competition — an opportunity for Amazon, Starlink and other providers that promises billions of dollars in revenue in the coming years. Any in-flight Wi-Fi business would benefit from an association with Delta, which is accustomed to setting the standard for passenger experience.