Maybe there were reservations at Michelin-starred restaurants that could not be rebooked. This meeting was clearly not in good faith, and even if it was, you cant trust anything Trump says past the point he leaves the room. hes also running again this year. So its hard to see how an accountant by trade becomes CEO of an airline, but when you start thinking about what makes accountants successful, its people that are able to read financial statements, read financial data, and be very, very comfortable in analyzing and finding good solutions from the data. Still, we cannot deny what an expensive vacation this truly was, at least in terms of optics. What is Ed Bastian salary? Yeah, there are certainly cases that are well documented of air rage, and all the airlines that have had them. I dont understand how serious an issue this is. People want to work here. As I tell our people, we didnt have a choice. What has it been like to try to guide a business through all this? It really needs to be a support center to the people out in the business that are making it happen out in the field. Pleased to say at Delta, there are very, very few. Youve got people who have to be there physically, who have to deliver physically. Ed Bastians daughter Brittany Bastian got married to Nathan Gannon in August 2020 A Deep Dive with Ed Bastian | Detroit Economic Club. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site is for entertainment purposes only. So theres a full playbook and, just like the auto industry, is going to take us several decades before we get there, but we follow what happened in the autos, and theyve been on a 20-year journey of electrification and using clean transportation. Fortunately theres been no severe illnesses caused by it. Each week, Ignatius interviews a top leader on LinkedIn Live previous interviews included Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooryi. Ed Bastians daughter Brittany Bastian got married to Nathan Gannon in August 2020 in a wedding ceremony held in Georgia. How do you make that case? Bastien likely would have gone if he thought the meeting would be productive, but he made the executive decision that it wouldnt be and used his planned vacation as an excuse. All hitting at the same time: the confluence of Omicron, the most infectious variant weve seen, coupled with the highest demand level. Im not going to impugn the motives of Delta CEO Ed Bastian. But there is simply no denying how incredibly costly his recent family vacation turned out to be. Bastian took some some heat ( and not just from me) for refusing to modify his travel plans to meet with President Trump and other airline CEOs in the White House. ADI IGNATIUS: Heres another question, this is from Cincinnati, Ohio, really a couple questions about data and analytics. 5. And this is something I was going to ask as well, which is the rollout of 5G thats coming. Were there some that couldnt come back? Mathew, I have been reading your blogs for a number of years now and Ive never commented on any of them even when I have felt that you are all reaching on your writing . Was everybody thrilled? Thank you! Someone needs to ask him where the I.T. He should be commended for putting his family first in this instance. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. You can comment when you have children of your own that regularly get second priority behind work. He is known to go against the grain, even in executive corporate venues. Why does it matter how much money he spent on a vacation? Edward Russell. Edward Ed Bastian of Delta Air Lines is one of the more interesting people in the world of corporate CEOs, likely because he has an interesting character that can be seen in the boardroom and out on the boardwalk. You can decide for yourself after reading these 10 not-so-obvious facts about him. 1. Shame on the Author. As a matter of fact i do recall that trump was considering a saudi base company to run our ATC dept. As for Delta, and while its pilots are unionized, flight attendants, mechanics and other support staff do not belong to a union. [8] His transition to CEO was the first time Delta had chosen a chief executive officer from within the company since 1987. (Personally) I think he made the right choice here and I respect him for that. As a result of that, we took a pretty big hit, because we saw it happen within our own workforce very, very quickly. What a moron for writing this, do you live to work or work to live? And one of the early indicators that we saw in the middle of December, as our people started to come down with Omicron, was we are hearing conflicting messages. He says he has to keep working hard for her, and this may be one of the role model type examples of how you can stay motivated to keep healthy and working no matter how successful you become. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. And we are having those conversations to create commercial opportunities for the energy producers to invest in SAF and the airlines to make sure that were going to be good partners and purchase and procure those, because today the cost of buying one gallon of a sustainable aviation fuel is upwards of 5 times the cost of one gallon of jet fuel, and its not a commercial opportunity at the present stage. If i worked at a corporate job, Id never get that much time off at one time. Instead, he says it is practical and helps speed his way to work by being able to use the HOV lane for almost the entire trip to the airport. But we use analytics far more than just as a pricing tool and an algorithm. 2. Family comes first. Thank you for recognizing that. Im confident our governments going to be able to solve this working closely with the FCC, as well as the FAA. The company uses a BCI-based approach in its products and services. I am not a Delta fan or Ed-apoloigist. And the White House is involved, as you mentioned. I think that there is more than a hint of jealousy about the CEO salary compared to this 3rd rate journalist. If you have difficult conditions, you may have to force people to divert. And it would be very, very disruptive without having fully tested the rollout of the application in the aviation infrastructure. Now tell us, whos nuts do you prefer when you fly? When you werent quite sure what exactly you need, or what youre going to find when you show up. Actress and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Ali Bastian has shared the first photographs of her baby girl Isla Rose in HELLO! But this is why I will continue to fly Delta..Priorities! He also shares an inside look at these conversations and solicits questions for future discussions in a newsletter just for HBR subscribers. In 2021, Bastian will assume the A father of 4, he splits his time between Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines is headquartered, and Florida. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. So this is not a problem for him to miss. As he makes his rounds in Atlanta and through the airline's global operation, here are 5 things to know about the company's new leader: 1. I stand by my tile and have children. Weve been bringing a whole new generation into the company, and theyre doing a fabulous job. Rally Kid Graces fearless spirit and selfless mission to help others, despite her own struggles, moved Bastian deeply. I cannot believe this many business travelers cannot see this. personally and/or professionally, as well as individually as Ed or as a representative of Delta (as Deltas CEO)? Otherwise there would be no point, as you seem to be too ignorant to understand the scope of what a CEOs role is. Bastian senses which way the wind was blowing and slipped out on the meeting knowing he would be unable to defend his illogical, protectionist arguments in person in from of Al-Baker and the President, and decided to spare himself the embarrassment. A man who takes a little vacation time, and gets villified for it, compared to the CEO of the country who seems to always be somewhere in New Jersey or Florida playing golf. We worked through it. And got everybody where they needed to be on time. During a 1981 annual review, he uncovered a $50 million fraud scheme involving ad powerhouse J. Walter Thompson. I think more likely is that Bastian realizes that this meeting was a waste of time because Trumps has an affinity for authoritarians like Al-Baker and the Qatari government (despite his refusal to press Saudi Arabia to lift their sanctions on Qatar) and his word is worth nothing. The majority of Deltas workforce doesnt have the option of working from home. To be able to check and validate not only vaccination records but potentially exemption requirements and the like would be just a huge logistical snafu that would cause us to really slow down the operation and put the onus back on our people to try to manage who gets on and gets off planes. It had nothing to do with whether or not he was going on vacation. If the (so-called) President was going to take the issue seriously, then his absence might be questionable; however, since we know (and Bastien knew in advance) that Trump was just going to defend his foreign cronies, the absence is not relevant. why is this even news worthy, https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2019/07/30/trump-delta-ceo-anger/. ADI IGNATIUS: I know youve made it clear that climate change is an issue of importance to you personally. Currently, the exact extent of the climate change remains unknown, not least because there is still much that remains to be uncovered in the field of climate science. What Do I Do If Someone Stole My Social Security Number To Get a Job? During the meeting, Trump complained, Eds not heres. Certainly, finding a seat on an airline willing to get him where he needed to be would not have been a problem. Theyre buckled into their seats. In 2004, he left based on what he calls strategic differences between himself and the company. I wasnt about ready to ask them to cancel a long-scheduled vacation. A lot of its about using intelligence and taking the insight youre getting off of the planes and off of the engines and insights from others in terms of how to run a really clean and great operation. Delta did end up filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and then charted a route to financial recovery, with Bastian leading the restructuring. We fly a noble mission in normal times, but in times of difficulty, its really important that you fulfill that mission honorably and with passion, and so it gives people a real purpose. And the other thing that I was worried about, personally, people wouldnt even test to find out if they had it at that point, if they realized, Im going to miss the holidays. Coupled with the fact of demand: customers tell you theyre ready to go. About 20,000 people took the opportunity to retire in the latter part of 2020, so we needed to supplement our team, and weve been hiring all across the board, from pilots to flight attendants to technologists to aircraft mechanics to reservationists, airport workers, you name it. And we ran basically a perfect, very, very clean operation. Mr. Bastain didnt found Delta Airlines but he was critical to its financial recovery after, ironically, returning to Delta in 2004 upon the request of then-CEO Jerry Grinstein of Delta. Could he have made last-minute arrangements to attend said meeting and meet up with his family mid-vacation? People are trained to handle those situations. UGAs Jalen Carter charged with reckless driving and street racing, Deltas rising CEO inherits big profits, big issues, Deltas next man up aims for upside, New Delta CEOs goal: keep company fresh, UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, Breaking: UGAs Jalen Carter charged with reckless driving and street racing, Kemp administration deals blow to Buckhead cityhood push, Former Atlanta fire chief says God brought slaves to America to save them, Georgia Senate panel passes bill to expand ability to challenge voters. He made his position on the matter that the company should file for bankruptcy protection corporate clear. I think you lost your audience when you compared refusing to bend to what amounts to little more than a power-play and authoritarian behavior to you choosing to fly economy instead of business on a 16 hour flights. But when he finally had the chance to address the issue with the U.S. President and confront the CEO of Qatar Airways, he was a no show. Bastian, 58, and his wife Anna have four children, including a school-age daughter. "I'm young at heart," Bastian said earlier this year shortly after being named to the CEO position. "I've got a 12-year-old, our youngest, so she's got designs on college and everything. To the extent Bastian wanted to push his misguided agenda forward, the best way to do that was not showing up. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel. As it turns out it seems there were people who saw that Bastain was right, and upon his return the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Its a huge deterrence to travel. We had a very, very large early retirement opportunity for our people as voluntary. ED BASTIAN: First and foremost, headquarters is not in charge of anything. American business executive and Delta Air Lines CEO, "St. Bonaventure grad to take over for Delta Air Lines CEO Anderson as he retires", "Edward Bastian Restructures Delta Into The "Winningest" Airline", "Ed Bastian to Succeed Richard Anderson as Chief Executive Officer of Delta Air Lines", "Can new Delta CEO Ed Bastian continue the airline's success? Not like he cant change his flights lol. And it was the first time they named that, and they named Delta in 2021. He deserves 1 week away with his family. After four years of long-distance, fun trips, He told them that if Deltas New York City operations became profitable he would run in the New York City Marathon. So its an issue for our government. But he doesnt have unlimited timetime once again becomes a precious commodity. Very disappointed by this article. Just like the right wingers making a stink about Obamas expenses & time away on his golf outingsthe total budget over 8 years Trump has already blown right past. Its not as if its deterring travel, people are ready to travel. Bastian joined Delta in 1998 as vice president of finance and controller, was promoted to senior vice president in 2000, and departed in 2004 over strategic differences. She has covered airlines for about 20 years, graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern. He was the oldest of nine children raised in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. ED BASTIAN: My pleasure, Adi, good to be with you. Two days after Thanksgiving ended, we first heard word of Omicron, and then within just a matter of weeks, it hit us hard in this country, right at the same time we were experiencing the busiest travel surge for demand, because of the Christmas and New Years holiday. They do a fabulous job, and candidly, customers police it too onboard the planes. Its easy when times are difficult to want to shy away when you dont have the answers to the questions that you need. I think its going to be a great technology. We dont have any influence with the CDC, but they took our input, they received the same question from a number of other industries as well, and they updated the guidance and it was really appreciated. I really appreciate it. They change out the full air with environment within a plane every two to three minutes while were in flight. As the firstborn of 9, he learned to manage people early in life. Not sure what your point is. Our hiring brand is strong. Six months later, at the request of then-Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein, he returned to the airline to serve as chief financial officer. ED BASTIAN: First and foremost, its always difficult to decide that. Our customers, our community have never needed us more than right now. ED BASTIAN: Thats a tough one, and because its a tough one, it makes it a very important one. Bastian kept his word by running the New York City marathon two years ago, raising funds for the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. I disagree with Bastians protectionist take on the ME3, but I wouldnt have canceled my vacation either as this meeting was never going to advance that cause. What? Theyre not moving around. One of the things I was most proud of last year, we were named at the end of the year by Cirium, which is the group that looks at airlines all around the world and is a data analytic shop, as the most reliable airline in the world. Climate change is happening. You may no longer be able to operate certain types of equipment unless you have a very clear day. Edward Herman Bastian (born June 6, 1957) is an American business executive. Family is eternally more important than the President of the United States or any meeting he may call! P.S. Why didnt he just send someone to stand in for him ? The meeting topic was Qatar Airways and Air Italy, two carriers Bastian has decried for years. Perhaps Trump still would have decided against the U.S. carrier had Bastian been there. And I know theres a lot of controversy around the testing requirement, but if you could test at the end of day five that you no longer have the virus present, why are you asking businesses to keep their staff, their critical staff, away from the job for another 5 days? Were in whats classified as a hard-to-decarbonize industry, because 98% of our emissions, our footprint, is jet fuel, is a fossil fuel. Ive got a visible access point. I think the figure was that 8,000 Delta employees have contracted Covid within the last four or five weeks, lots of flight cancellations, not just for you, but for the industry. A lot of people dont have options, they need to travel and they need to get to where theyre at. "My Tesla is great," Bastian said during a breakfast Ed has been talking about saving american jobs since he became the Delta CEO literally putting up constant messages to employees and asking them to write their congressman and sign petitions. 6. If h wants to be CEO. Bastian, 58, and his wife Anna have four children, including a school-age daughter. Theyre somewhere else entirely. Awards and recognition. Im just wondering why this was an either-or situation. in 2015 - and now here we are, getting ready for a wedding of our own! So we need to ensure that were doing everything we can to seek those new sources of energy in the short term, investing, and trying to get much greater attention to sustainable aviation fuels. Instead, Bastian studied accounting at St. Bonaventure University. Six months later, Delta's then-CEO Jerry Grinstein asked him to come back as chief financial officer of the airline. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Shame on you sir. I am willing to bet big money you do not have a family. Family and down time is critically important for everyone. "I got the Tesla because I live here in Sugarloaf, and I have to go down to the airport [for work]. The airplane is the cleanest place you can be. So people love air travel and they love to engage with air travel, and as a result of that, I want to make sure that Im accessible for anyone who has good ideas. "I'm young at heart," Bastian said earlier this year shortly after being named to the CEO position. This man has himself defined the issue that the meeting was to address as a critical issue that represents an existential threat for the business he runs, and after literally years of shrieking and whining about this issue and millions spent lobbying the current administration he decided to miss an absolutely essential meeting on the topic at the White House. The question is do we Live to work or work to live. We tell people what we need them to know and do, and when they ask us, we give them our very, very best insight as to how we see the future and whats happening around and why we do make some of the decisions that weve had. ADI IGNATIUS: One more audience question. Internationally it is largely a requirement, to get into many countries around the world, you need to be vaccinated, including our country. When you have acquired the level of following that you have, you should act a little more responsibly in writing things. The science is (and I were continuing learning) with Omicron, theres a pretty concentrated couple days before youre symptomatic and a couple of days after where youre highly contagious. He never intended to do anything about the situation in the first place because its his rich middle eastern buddies that are involved so he uses Bastion absence as the focal point of the whole deal, what about the other guys that showed up? So thank you for taking the time to be on The New World of Work. I know Delta was one of the signatories in a letter to the White House that said this could potentially wreak havoc on the flight control systems. Weve been relatively, I wouldnt say unaffected, but the numbers are really quite low for us. Rhebway I see it, and while sevral airline executives did attend, this was not an airline led meeting. Thats fair, but as someone who owns a company, you should also know that there are times when being present at an in-person meeting might run counter to your own objectives. People are excited. Its how we manage our operations, the quality of the predictive technologies we deploy, the engineering, the mechanical applications to ensure that were providing just absolutely the very best and most reliable air service in the world. We wanted to serve together. And it may not be the pandemic, it may be something else, but that feels like the era were in. Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord. Say what you will about Trump, but his word means nothing, and being present would have just been embarrassing for Bastian as it was for his counterparts at UA and AA. (BTW, if it is not about the cost of the trip, why put expensive in front of every word you use to describe it when, in fact, you dont know if it was. We just need to get back together and the airlines are going to be a big part of bringing the world together. But after that, your period of isolation requirements really drop immensely. I joined Delta about 25 years ago in a finance area. Good for Ed. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. One of my favorite wedding memories! Bastian has worked for Atlanta-based Delta for about 18 years and most recently served as president of the airline. The question I have is about impact. [9], Ed Bastian is married. 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