Ed Bastian memo: Continuing our climb

At the start of the year, I shared our plans to build Delta for the next generation of employees and travelers. Our success always relies on our ability to operate as one team, with shared values that reflect and strengthen our people-focused culture, elevating Delta to be the brand of choice for our customers.

We are making several leadership changes beginning April 1 to support our journey:

Peter Carter is being promoted to President, as he takes on a larger role driving enterprise strategy in addition to global policy and legal matters, our international portfolio, real estate, and sustainability and diversity teams. In his decade at Delta, Peter has led initiatives that touch many important aspects of our business, and has been a constant source of strategic insight and long-term vision that will be essential to our future success.

With John Laughter’s retirement, Dan Janki will become Delta’s Chief Operating Officer. Our Airport Customer Service, Flight Operations, In-Flight Service, OCC, Reservations Sales and Customer Care, and Technical Operations teams will report to Dan, along with our Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance teams. As our Chief Financial Officer, Dan has shown the operational depth and disciplined focus that drive the world‑class performance our people, customers and investors expect. Bringing our operating units together under his leadership will further strengthen alignment and coordination across our team, which is critical to succeeding in our fast‑paced, dynamic environment.

Alain Bellemare, E.V.P and President – International, is assuming additional responsibilities as Chairman of Delta TechOps. His extensive experience and longstanding industry relationships position him to elevate the TechOps culture of excellence and provide strategic advisory support to both Dan and David Thompson.

Erik Snell will become Delta’s Chief Financial Officer, leading our Finance organization, our Fleet and Supply Chain teams and Monroe Energy, our refinery. Erik began his Delta career 20 years ago in our Finance team. Most recently, Erik has served as our Chief Customer Experience Officer, elevating the products and services our customers enjoy on the ground and in the air. He brings a comprehensive understanding of Delta’s operations and frontline employees to the Finance organization with keen analytical skills that will further boost our financial effectiveness and shared success.

Having transformed the Marketing organization, strengthened Delta’s premium positioning and driven measurable commercial impact, Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer, has decided to pursue broader leadership opportunities outside of Delta. 

With Alicia’s transition, Ranjan Goswami will become our Chief Marketing and Product Officer. In addition to marketing, Ranjan will retain responsibility for Delta’s Customer Experience Design and report directly to me. Across various commercial, operational, and digital roles, Ranjan’s vision has elevated Delta’s brand, strengthened our partnerships, and improved travel for our customers, while always remaining deeply connected to our people, who drive our best-in-class premium experiences.

Importantly, these changes demonstrate Delta’s deep bench of talent and commitment to developing and elevating the leaders who will shape Delta’s journey for years to come. 

Our future won’t rest on any individual or team. Delta is known as the world’s best airline because of our entire family of 100,000 people worldwide, who perpetuate our culture every day. 

Please join me in congratulating Peter, Dan, Alain, Erik, and Ranjan on their new and expanded responsibilities. And thank you for all you do for Delta.

Ed