Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein will leave his role at the end of February. Network chief Joe Esposito becomes Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.
Hauenstein has been running the airline while CEO Ed Bastian gives keynotes (plural) at CES Las Vegas, runs off to Paris while airline systems melt down due to the Crowds srike outage, and hangs out with Tom Brady.
Glen Hauenstein has been the architect of Delta’s network, revenue and premium investments and leaned in heavily to their long-standing gutting approach to SkyMiles.
Efforts like eliminating upgrades and monetizing first class seats to infrequent flyers for tens of dollars, and moving towards AI setting fares, is Hauenstein’s work.
He’s a very smart executive who understood that the airline consumer did not just want to buy based on schedule and price, and could be nudged along a path towards premium.
Hauenstein is not the only core loss for Delta. Operations chief Gil West left during the pandemic and stopped the arrests of customers over at Hertz.
On the one hand, one wonders whether the brain drain at the top puts Delta at risk. Already they have been resting on laurels and cutting back in-flight product (such as earphones in coach and thinning the first class snack basket) while continuing to operate an inferior business class seat that lags the entire rest of the industry on many transatlantic flights.
On the other hand his replacement is a 35-year veteran of the airline who has been running network planning – who has been mentored under Hauenstein- so it seems like a status quo transition in some sense.
Clearly Delta loses much tactical leadership and vision for where the industry is going.
Best News of 2025! Ding Ding the Witch is Dead.
Glen Hauenstein’s “retirement” is almost certainly a good thing for Delta customers, particularly those with elite status.
They are all thinning snack baskets. Stop it – I want more than a bag of popcorn on a 1 hour 59 minute flight.
@Gary, I know Hauenstein usually stays in the background and let Bastian take the limelight, but can we get a picture of him for this article instead of Bastian?
Isaac,
you can not only get a picture of Hauenstein but also of Joe Esposito if you just google Delta and their last name.
You will see that Joe Esposito is a career Delta employee that started his career at the airport after attending Embry Riddle where he also got an MBA.
How many execs at US airlines are left who have worked their up to a senior exec position after starting in a frontline, customer-facing position?
The notion that DL is losing anything when Hauenstein steps away is fanciful at best. Esposito has worked in the same department for 30 or his 35 years, longer than Hauenstein. Esposito isn’t being hired for longevity but because he has learned from his boss and figured out how to execute his boss’ wishes.
You don’t get into that position if you don’t also have a vision for how DL could grow and those types of questions were undoubtedly asked as part of the selection process for Hauenstein’s successor.
the byproduct is that there will likely be a flurry of major announcements over the next 2 months before Hauenstein walks out the door.
Who cares? A couple corporate suits are retiring. Did they ever contribute anything positive to humanity?
My prediction is that status for US3 will become more difficult to achieve and will concentrate more on profitable flying and heavy cc spend. Also, less ability for complimentary upgrades. Definitely going to be a thinning of the ranks.
@ Tim — I think you meant to say Esposito has learned from the best how to screw customers continuously.
sounds like good news for medallions. losing a penny pincher
Congrats to Glen (on the retirement?) and Joe (on the promotion), I guess. Haven’t forgotten that Hauenstein lead the ‘revenue-based’ transition of SkyMiles, and the monetizing of upgrades, so, for us Medallions, that was not necessarily great, but, I’m sure for shareholders and executives, I’m sure he’s got his fans. Moving forward, I wonder what changes Esposito will actually implement, if any. Like, if the two were aligned, mentor-mentee, maybe it’s just more of the same. Perhaps, that’s good news for shareholders (I’m sure Tim can ‘re-educate’ us all on that…)
On the consumer side, here’s my personal wish-list as a current Diamond: Focus on greater ‘premium’ product consistency. Like, less CRJ, more E175; less 717, more a220; less 737/a319, etc., more a321neo/XLR (with lie-flat); less older 763/a332, more 339, 359, etc. Free, reliable WiFi and IFE on every aircraft (as they’re nearly doing already). I get it, that takes real time and effort. More lie-flat on transcon, 5+ hour flights (not just NYC-LAX/SFO, but, also SEA, etc., especially on red-eyes) Keep opening D1 lounges (nothing at ATL, yet? Really?? C’mon). And, don’t mess around too much with the good stuff RUC, GUC, companion certificates, etc. Fine, we’ll let the diminished complimentary upgrades thing go, because as @Gene says, WFBF.
On the worker side, I’d imagine whoever’s in-charge likely wants to keep trying to hold back the formation of unions for flight attendants, maintenance crews, and baggage handlers, even though I think those team members would do well to join the pilots (since 1934!) and dispatchers in organizing, if only for job security during a potential downturn. Keep climbing… for 100 more years…
@Gene — So harsh. Without Glen, you wouldn’t need WFBF so much at DL… *wink*
@George Romey — Ah, yes, thinning the ranks… the GLP-1s for status… sir, have you officially renewed your Key for 2026?
Gene,
since AA and UA are adopting the same policies that DL pioneered, it is clear that the industry is moving in DL’s direction.
It is precisely because DL knows that AA and UA have no choice but to copy DL that there was only a short-term risk, at best, to DL for having the foresight to do what DL has done – and will continue to do.
For-profit companies do not exist above all to make you, their customer, happy but to deliver returns for their owners.
@Tim Dunn — I’d like to see them all adopt each other’s best practices, so long as that doesn’t mean harming workers and consumers; like, better pay, more reliable operations, more efficient aircraft, enhanced amenities, etc. (Is this is asking too much?)
The only person more important than Glen Hauenstein to the rise of Delta in the last 20 years is Richard Anderson. This is a big loss for Delta.
Rarely does the in-house successor fill the shoes of his predecessor. And I think Bastian is more suit than substance…
Tim Dunn said: “For-profit companies do not exist above all to make you, their customer, happy but to deliver returns for their owners.” I cannot resist teasing you for that statement.
LOL, give us money s*ckers (read customers). And don’t let the door hit you on the way out. If you aren’t happy, well there are many fish in the sea. I can replace you with another mindless s*cker.
I know that you know it is more of a chicken-egg, egg-chicken sort of situation. Satisfied customers means profit. Profit maximizing is the goal.
@Tim — Pioneered? Yeah, and Al Gore invented the internet. Unless you haven’t been paying attention, there isn’t really anything left to copy from Delta. They have all screwed all of their long-term elite customers out of pretty much every benefit. They all copied Delta, and now they all suck equally. Job well done, Glen.
Solucia writes – “They [Delta Airlines] are all thinning snack baskets. Stop it – I want more than a bag of popcorn on a 1 hour 59 minute flight.” I agree, Solucia. You should know, on my last flight, I received not only a bag of popcorn but also an unexpected bonus: a Delta Airlines-branded cellophane-wrapped imported Biscoff containing two delicious caramelized cookies and a napkin.
Hauenstein was the hater-in-chief of medallion benefits.
https://viewfromthewing.com/delta-reveals-radical-investor-day-strategy-near-zero-upgrades-basic-business-and-ai-driven-fares/
@Ken A — Have you tried their cream-filled variety yet?
Tim Dunn writes — “Maybe things will change with Hauenstein’s retirement, but I doubt DL is anywhere near at risk of slipping on a banana.” However, with American Airlines’ no-notice removal of all mileage-earning and status credits from their Basic Economy passengers, AA executives are at risk of slipping in their new AAdvantage program giant steaming pile of poo.
1990 says — Have you tried their cream-filled variety yet? Not yet. Should I order the Biscoff Creme, Vanilla flavor, or Milk Chocolate flavor cookies, or order all three Biscoff Creme cookie choices?
Good riddance to Hauenstein.
Let’s hope Joe Esposito is the best around… No one’s ever gonna keep him down!
Ken A,
you do know that DL FAs will give you 2 of the same snack or 1 of a couple different types – if you ask?
Not sure that DL will sign up for two varieties of Biscoff but sometimes a salty and a sweet snack is what I want.
I worked on a project with Glen back in … 2006? And he earned my respect fairly quickly. No beating around the bush, just wants the facts. All around good guy, very good at listening to others and seeing projects thru. He’s got his eyes open & ears to the ground, and while you may dislike/hate him for what he did at Delta with some of the things they implemented, if they didn’t do it first, someone else would have.
+1 mad props for him also helping out the LGBT efforts behind the scenes as well. I wish him and his partner the best in retirement (IF that’s possible)
@Ken A, @Tim Dunn — I’ll be honest, I’m also a sucker for those Vegobears gummy bears.
@ Tim — Have you already forgotten that Deta doesn’t care what you or any other customer wants? Sounds like Ford, GM, and Chrysler in the 1970s.
@ KenA — AA is smart to give no miles on Basic Economy. They know these are customers that are choosing them only on price. I would never even consider buying a basic economy ticket. You are just asking for trouble. Then again, I also generally avoid buying all economy tickets becuase then you might actually have to sit in economy. The horror.