Delta CEO Fires Back At Musk: Amazon Beat Starlink On Price And Tech

• SpaceX CEO Elon Musk publicly clashed with Delta Air Lines first this month after the carrier chose Amazon’s Project Kuiper LEO satellite network over SpaceX’s Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi.
• Starlink currently has about 10,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, compared to the 300 units part of Amazon’s rival constellation.
• Last month, Amazon agreed to buy Globalstar for a near $11.6 billion in a bid to gain access to the latter's satellite fleet.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) CEO Ed Bastian reportedly said that Amazon.com Inc.’s satellite internet offering beat out SpaceX’s Starlink on both price and technology for the carrier’s planned in-flight Wi-Fi rollout.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Bastian explicitly rebuffed criticism from Elon Musk, who had publicly slammed Delta’s decision to choose Amazon’s Project Kuiper service. “Amazon brings a lot more than just satellite technology,” Bastian told Bloomberg. “They bring great retailing capability and Amazon Prime and video gaming technologies, which Starlink does not have.” He added that Amazon’s package is also cheaper than Starlink.

Delta-Elon Musk Sparring

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk publicly clashed with Delta Air Lines first this month after the carrier chose Amazon’s Project Kuiper LEO satellite network over SpaceX’s Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi across its fleet. Delta announced the multi-year deal in March, with installations slated to begin in 2028.

Musk, however, took to X on May 13 to sharply criticize the decision, claiming the Starlink negotiations collapsed not over technology or cost but because Delta insisted on routing connectivity through its branded “Delta Sync” portal, which requires passengers to log in with a SkyMiles account.

Talking about Starlink’s strict “no-portal” policy, Musk wrote that SpaceX demands seamless connectivity “as though you were at home,” adding that “Delta wanted to make it painful, difficult and expensive for their customers. Hard to see how that is a winning strategy.” Delta pushed back firmly, telling reporters Musk’s characterization was “not accurate” and asserting that integrating its Delta Sync portal would have been permitted under SpaceX’s agreement. The airline stood by its choice of Amazon, while Musk doubled down, warning that Delta would “lose passengers over this.” The exchange has drawn attention as more carriers, including United, Qatar Airways, and Lufthansa, move forward with Starlink installations. JetBlue Airways Corp is the only other carrier for Amazon’s in-flight network besides Delta.

Starlink currently has about 10,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, compared to the 300 units part of Amazon’s rival constellation. Last month, Amazon agreed to buy Globalstar for a near $11.6 billion in a bid to gain access to the latter's satellite fleet, ground infrastructure, and valuable mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum licenses

How Did DAL Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around DAL stock improved from ‘bearish’ to ‘normal’ territory amid normal retail chatter.  

Sentiment around SPACEX, meanwhile, is trending within extremely bullish territory, accompanied by ‘extremely high’ retail chatter. 

Read More: Ford Strikes First Major Energy Storage Victory With French Giant EDF: Wall Street Believes It's Only The First Of Several

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.