Where we heard itCNBC’s Squawk Box, Oct. 9, 2026, the morning Delta reported third-quarter results. Speaker: Ed Bastian, chief executive of Delta Air Lines, interviewed by CNBC’s Phil LeBeau. Watch the clip at CNBC
Delta Air LinesDAL CEO Ed Bastian pushed back on reports of a dispute with Elon Musk over his airline’s in-flight internet decision. “There’s no tit for tat as far as I’m concerned. We’ve been around Starlink for a lot of years,” Bastian told CNBC.
“This nonsense about being personal is not true at all,” he added.
How a Wi-Fi Decision Became a Public Spat
Elon Musk criticized Bastian on X last week, saying he would “lose his job over this.” The View from the Wing travel blog reported that Bastian told staff at an internal event, “We do not want to be with Elon Musk. Trust me,” according to CNBC.
Asked about the post itself, Ed Bastian said, “I don’t pay any attention to it.”
Bastian’s Real Explanation Comes Down to Timing
Bastian explained the history: “We had conversations six years ago when Starlink was just launching for aviation. We in fact gave them some of our planes, not him, but SpaceX, some of the planes to test it out on. It was fabulous. They just weren’t ready to scale when we were ready to go.”
Ed Bastian did acknowledge one disagreement: “We had disagreements on the business model in terms of access to the customer and various other things that I won’t get into any details.”
When a passenger logs on at 35,000 feet, both the airline and the connectivity provider touch that customer. Who owns the relationship on board and sets the commercial model is a real point of dispute between airlines and providers. Bastian did not elaborate.
Bastian added, “I’m a big fan of Starlink. I’m a fan of what Elon’s done. I drive a Tesla.” Bastian praised Starlink’s product and noted he drives a TeslaTSLA.
Viasat, Hughes and Amazon Leo
Bastian named two providers: ViasatVSAT and Hughes. He said Viasat received regulatory approval for a satellite service for U.S. carriers, with improvements expected by year-end.
CNBC reported Delta “recently said it would add Amazon Leo satellite internet to its airplanes,” from AmazonAMZN. Bastian also told CNBC he was “excited about Amazon Leo.” A William Blair analyst has said Amazon is positioning itself as an ally of the wireless carriers in satellite service.
Viasat’s Share Price Is the Number Almost Nobody Is Watching
Coverage has centered on Starlink and Musk. Viasat is the company on the other side of the decision.
Viasat closed at $72.01 on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, up 6.8% on the day. Shares were up 109.0% year to date and 102.7% over twelve months.
Viasat at the Oct. 9, 2026 close
Available data links Friday’s move to no specific catalyst, including Bastian’s comments or the regulatory approval he described.
Over other periods, Viasat is down 0.5% over one month and down 2.0% over ten years. Investors can review Viasat’s quarterly SEC filing from August 6, 2026.
Delta’s Broader Claim About Free Wi-Fi
Bastian said Delta is “the global pioneer in launching free and fast Wi-Fi as the industry standard.”
What to Watch
The same morning, former United CEO Oscar Munoz told CNBC that fuel costs leave airlines no choice but to raise fares.
Investors can watch for Delta to clarify how Viasat, Hughes, and Amazon Leo fit its fleet, and whether Viasat delivers the improvements Bastian expects by year-end.
Bastian says Delta passed on Starlink because SpaceX wasn’t ready to scale when Delta was, and because the two sides disagreed on the business model. He called talk of a personal feud with Musk nonsense. The risk is on his side of the deal: he has promised Delta customers meaningful Wi-Fi improvements from Viasat and Hughes by the end of the year.