Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer

As CEO of Delta Air Lines, Ed Bastian leads 100,000+ global professionals who are building the world’s premier international airline, powered by a people-driven, customer-focused culture and spirit of innovation. 

In 2026, Delta is celebrating Ed's 10th year as CEO. Under Ed’s leadership, Delta is transforming the air travel experience with generational investments in technology, aircraft, airport facilities and, most importantly, Delta employees worldwide. A nearly 30-year Delta veteran, Ed has been a critical leader in Delta’s long-term strategy and champion of putting Delta’s shared values of honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance and servant leadership at the core of every decision. 

Ed has expanded Delta’s position as the world’s most reliable airline while growing its global footprint and enhancing the customer experience in the air and on the ground. During his tenure as CEO, Delta has become America’s most awarded airline, being recognized for operational performance, community impact and as a top employer. For the third straight year, Delta ranked No. 11 on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies List in 2026.  

Ed’s values-based leadership propelled the airline to become a trusted global brand, guided by empathy, humanity and devotion to service. He has steered the company through the most challenging periods of its history, including 9/11, bankruptcy and COVID-19. 

In 2018, Fortune named Ed among “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” and in 2019, he was elected to the membership of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2021, amidst the global pandemic, Ed was awarded for his Executive Leadership in FlightGlobal’s 2021 Airline Strategy Awards and named among the Top 10 CEOs of 2021 in Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards as a leader who excelled at supporting their people. Ed was honored by his peer CEOs as Chief Executive magazine’s 2023 Chief Executive of the Year in addition to the 2024 Georgian of the Year by Georgia Trend Magazine. During Delta’s Centennial year in 2025, Ed was named to the 2025 TIME100 and was the recipient of the 2025 Tony Jannus Award, one of the industry’s highest accolades.  

When asked to sum up his job in five words, Ed’s response is: “Taking care of our people.” The answer reflects his leadership philosophy, which is based on the “virtuous circle” – if you take care of your people, they take care of your customers, whose business and loyalty allow you to reward your shareholders. 

Ed joined Delta in 1998 as V.P. – Finance and Controller. He was named Chief Financial Officer in 2005, and in 2007 he was appointed to serve as Delta’s President. 

Before joining Delta, Ed held senior finance positions at Frito-Lay International and PepsiCo International (formerly Pepsi-Cola). Ed started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers (formerly Price Waterhouse), where he became an audit partner in its New York practice. 

Ed grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He lives in Atlanta and is deeply involved in his faith, family and community. 

Follow Ed on LinkedIn and Instagram for his thoughts on leadership, culture, aviation and more.