How Ed Bastian turned Delta into America’s most profitable airline, while giving employees billions along the way

On Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, a Delta plane had crashed on landing and was sitting upside down on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport.  For J. Bastian, the leader who had helped guide Delta through 9/11, bankruptcy, and the COVID pandemic, this was a trial like no other. Delta hadn’t suffered a crash that caused fatalities in his entire 26-year career there.  “Undoubtedly that first hour was the toughest moment I’ve spent as CEO,” Bastian says. “I went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. You just feel helpless.”

Bastian could only visualize the “terrible event”: Photos and videos wouldn’t go viral until the next morning. But over the next 60 minutes, by phone, Bastian’s team gave him the play-by-play of a remarkable rescue effort. Delta crews safely evacuated the 76 passengers who’d been dangling upside down, held by their seatbelts; there were, miraculously, no deaths. Recounting those dramatic minutes, Bastian praises the alacrity of the flight attendants who swung into action; the speed of the ground crews that doused the burning hulk; even the “strength and flexibility of the seats” on the plane.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The CRJ-900 en route from Minneapolis landed amid 40 mph gusts; it appears that it lost part of its landing gear upon hitting the runway, skidded, rolled, and flipped over. Images of a giant charred metal tube lying upside down seemed like a potentially crippling blow to Delta’s burnished brand. The safety first responders had stepped up; now it was Bastian’s turn. 

The CEO quickly turned the narrative to the incident’s positives. In an interview on CBS Mornings two days after the crash, Bastian declared that “the crew on board performed heroically but also as expected, as we train for this continually.” Questioned by host Gayle King about whether recent job cutting at the Federal Aviation Administration “impacts safety,” Bastian responded that “the cuts do not affect us,” adding that the Trump administration had assured him it was committed to “modernizing the skies and hiring additional air traffic controllers.”

Bastian garnered further favorable reviews by committing Delta to give $30,000 to each passenger—not just the 20 or so who were hospitalized. Delta also covered medical bills in the days following the accident. Letters written on Bastian’s letterhead and individually signed by the CEO went to each passenger’s home. 

Fallout from the crash is far from over: Several passengers have already filed suit against Delta. Thomas Demetrio, an attorney who represents plaintiffs in airline liability cases, believes more litigation is coming. Still, he awards Delta high marks for its response. “The payment was very good PR, because it was phrased as helping people with their immediate needs,” he says, adding that it’s likely to create goodwill. “It’s rare for an airline to step up to the plate this early.” 

In his role as crash crisis manager, Bastian was taking an original flight path, and it’s hardly the first time he’s done so. Indeed, for 15 years, including Bastian’s nine as CEO, Delta has often charted a course in the opposite direction from its rivals. When other airlines reckoned that low prices were the biggest lure for customers, Delta bet that fliers would pay a premium for a superior experience. When the pandemic pressured the industry to slash capital investments, Delta kept building. 

Today, that contrarianism has made Delta the largest U.S. air carrier by revenue, and the most profitable—while earning the kind of customer loyalty that can help it weather catastrophes like the Toronto crash. Its place atop the podium represents a crowning achievement for Bastian, who has led Delta with a rare blend of salesmanship, showmanship, and an accountant’s mastery of return on capital—and who has helped the airline build strong employee-management relations in an industry where those ties are often strained.

Even competitors respect Delta’s strategic acumen. “I admire Delta,” Frontier Airlines chairman Bill Franke tells Fortune. “They’ve done a terrific job on reliability and meeting the needs of the business traveler.” The former CEO of another major airline, who asked for anonymity in order to speak candidly, also credits Delta for its big bet on upscale service. “I do believe they do a better job catering to premium travelers than American and United,” declares this person. For Raymond James analyst Savi Syth the best measure of Bastian’s foresight is that United Airlines is embracing Delta’s focus on affluent travelers: “The highest form of flattery is that United’s copying them.”

How Delta gets top dollar.  Delta was America’s most profitable airline last year, and it generated 14% more revenue per “seat mile” than its competitors—largely by wooing travelers who don’t mind paying a premium for reliability. Here’s how the airline maintains that cushion.

1. On time, most of the time.  Delta’s North American flights arrived on schedule nearly 84% of the time in 2024—putting it in first place for the seventh straight year, which endears it to time-pressed business fliers.
2. A handy hub.  Delta has 73% market share at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, the world’s busiest airport. That makes Delta a must-fly carrier for many, while helping boost its profit per passenger.
3. Keeping staff satisfied.  A generous company-wide profit-sharing program helps Delta build goodwill among its frontline staff, which in turn correlates with better customer service.
4. Fresher facilities.  During COVID-era travel slowdowns, Delta sped up its investments in new terminals, airport lounges, and in-flight entertainment tech—amenities that lure finicky fliers.

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