Delta enjoys this title despite the fact that it gives away a chunk of profits to its 100,000 employees every year—and thanks in part to a long-term partnership with American Express, which Bastian has nurtured to be extremely lucrative. Delta-Amex cards are now responsible for over 10% of Delta’s total revenue.

I flew to Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta to interview Bastian for the Fortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast, and we sat among historic planes in the airline’s corporate museum hangar and talked for nearly an hour about his leadership playbook. When we spoke about his turnaround strategy, Bastian cited two other micro-turnarounds that reoriented the company: a brand overhaul and the rebuilding of team culture:

Creating a brand instead of a commodity. Two decades ago, “When you asked people why they chose an airline for their specific flight, 80% of the time it would be whoever had the lowest price,” Bastian told me. “Today, if you ask people why they choose Delta, 80% would say [it’s] because it’s Delta, because of the experience, the brand; 20% is the other stuff. So just a total flip. And so that was the most important thing, getting paid for the great service that our people do.” 

Giving Delta’s people a reason to believe and the responsibility to make it work. “You have to let your people know that you’re supporting them and putting them out front, rather than the management being out front,” Bastian said. “We’re not obsessing on customers, per se, at the leadership levels, because we want to obsess over our own people, so that they can obsess over you as a customer. When your people know that you’ve got their back, amazing things can happen. That had been lost, and bringing that back, and getting their confidence and trust back, was really key.”

Given that latter point, it’s no surprise that Delta is in the top 10 of the newest edition of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. You can find that list here. 

For more on how Bastian leads, where he sees the airline industry heading, and why AI won’t knock him off his people-first approach at Delta, listen to our full interview here.—Alyson Shontell

Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com

Correction, April 1, 2026: A previous version of this essay misstated the year in which Delta Air Lines filed for bankruptcy.

Top leadership news

2026 Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For list

The best companies in the AI era must set their employees up to excel as the technology revolutionizes work. See which companies made the cut on the 2026 Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For list.

The future of the Strait of Hormuz

Experts tell Fortune that the U.S. walking away from the Strait of Hormuz without taking it over would “transcend our defeat in Vietnam.” Some say a “fragile ceasefire” is the most likely case, while others predict U.S. boots on the ground.

Marc Andreessen says AI-induced layoffs are an excuse

Investor Marc Andreessen told the 20VC podcast that AI is the “silver bullet excuse” for layoffs at large companies he believes are all “overstaffed by 25%.” “I think a lot of them are overstaffed by 75%,” he added.

The markets

S&P 500 futures are up 0.74% this morning. The last session closed up 2.91%. The STOXX Europe 600 was up 2.29% in early trading. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 was up 1.72% in early trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 5.24%. China’s CSI 300 was up 1.71%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 2.10%. South Korea’s KOSPI was up 8.44%. India’s NIFTY 50 is up 2.42% today. Bitcoin was up to $69K.

Around the watercooler

Former BP CEO takes over Wyoming data center developer, as first woman leader of Big Oil giant becomes new BP chief by Jordan Blum

A Wall Street vet’s Walmart recession indicator just hit its highest point since 2008—and he says the fear ‘just keeps multiplying’ by Jake Angelo

Credit card delinquencies among millennials and Gen Z have soared because of sports betting—even in states where it’s illegal, new Fed study finds by Sasha Rogelberg

Liking corporate BS may be a sign you’re bad at decision-making, Cornell expert finds by Jacqueline Munis

Hiring just hit a level not seen since the economy was ‘closed down literally’ during COVID, top economist says by Eva Roytburg

CEO Daily is curated and edited by Joey Abrams, Claire Zillman, and Lee Clifford.