Following criticism from Elon Musk, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has explained why he chose Amazon to power the carrier’s future inflight Wi-Fi over SpaceX’s Starlink.
During an interview with Bloomberg on May 18, 2026, Bastian justified his decision, maintaining that Amazon Leo was cheaper than its competitor Starlink and came with added benefits.
“I think the opportunities, in terms of the improved bandwidth with a much lower price point than what we’ve ever seen from Starlink, will make a big difference,” Bastian said.
The Delta CEO added that Amazon “brings a lot more than just satellite technology,” highlighting its retail capabilities, Amazon Prime and video gaming technologies.
In May 2026, SpaceX founder Elon Musk responded to a post on X that commented on why Delta had selected Amazon Leo over Starlink.
“Delta wanted to make it painful, difficult and expensive for their customers. Hard to see how that is a winning strategy,” Musk wrote.
Bastian said that he expected Starlink to warn people that Delta would have an “inferior product,” but said he was “not too worried about partnering with Amazon”.
When Delta announced it had partnered with Amazon to provide satellite powered inflight Wi-Fi, it was very much against the established wave of airlines that had opted for Starlink. JetBlue is the only other airline so far to have selected Amazon Leo.
Once operational Amazon Leo, previously known as Project Kuiper, will rely on a constellation of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, roughly 370 miles above the planet’s surface.
Amazon Leo currently has more than 200 satellites in orbit, with more than 20 full-scale missions planned over the next year.
The initial Delta installation will see around half its fleet upgraded with advanced satellite connectivity, starting in 2028.
source
