Elon Musk’s comments followed the circulation of unverified remarks allegedly attributed to the Delta chief executive regarding the airline’s decision.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has stepped up his criticism of Delta Air Lines after the carrier chose Amazon’s satellite internet service, Amazon Leo, instead of SpaceX’s Starlink for its future in-flight Wi-Fi.
Musk on Tuesday targeted Delta CEO Ed Bastian, saying on X that Bastian “will lose his job over this.” His comments followed the circulation of unverified remarks allegedly attributed to the Delta chief executive regarding the airline’s decision.
Delta earlier defended its choice. In a May interview with Bloomberg News, Bastian said Amazon Leo offered improved bandwidth at a significantly lower price point compared with Starlink.
Delta has agreed to introduce Amazon’s service beginning in 2028, while JetBlue Airways is also set to use Amazon’s satellite network, with its rollout expected to begin next year.
The competition comes as airlines increasingly view high-speed onboard internet as an important part of the passenger experience. Carriers are seeking to offer connectivity capable of supporting video streaming, video calls and online gaming.
Amazon plans to build a satellite network of more than 7,000 satellites, although its Leo constellation currently has only around 400 satellites in orbit. Starlink, meanwhile, has more than 11,000 satellites in orbit and around 12 million active users, according to the report.
SpaceX already has agreements with several major US airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which are moving forward with Starlink rollouts.
Musk continued the public dispute Thursday by highlighting posts from American and United promoting their Starlink partnerships to travellers.
“Both @United and @AmericanAir have @Starlink!” he wrote on X, sharing promotional messages from the competing airlines.
Delta and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Musk’s latest remarks.