Overview
- Aviation watcher JonNYC published an unverified account on Tuesday that Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline rejected Starlink because of Elon Musk, a report Delta has not confirmed.
- Elon Musk responded publicly on X with mocking posts on Wednesday that said Bastian “will lose his job” and joked about Delta's slower onboard internet.
- Delta has officially committed to installing Amazon’s Leo service on about 500 aircraft beginning in 2028, while saying contractual claims about Starlink and Delta Sync are not accurate.
- United and American moved quickly to promote status‑match offers to Delta elites this week, using Starlink rollouts as a product advantage to try to lure frequent fliers.
- Industry context matters: Starlink is already fitted on hundreds of United planes and many carriers are completing rollouts before 2028, while Amazon Leo remains unproven and not yet in wide commercial service.