Ed Bastian has taken over as chief executive officer (CEO) of Delta Air Lines, replacing outgoing Richard Anderson who had held that role since 2007. Bastian is the first “insider” to be elevated to the top job in a smooth transition.
“We decided some time ago that a smooth succession is going to be incredibly important,” he said. Delta is keen to point out that the executive change has been in the planning stages for more than a year before it was announced in February. Along with Bastian, Delta’s Board of Directors named Glen Hauenstein as Delta’s new President and Gil West as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Bastian intends to promote Delta as a premium provider and focus on service and reliability, providing “a better product than your competition,” he said.