I’d argue that this is the most significant management change we’ve seen at a US airline since Scott Kirby became CEO of United…
Continue reading: Wow: Delta’s Strategy Guy, President Glen Hauenstein, Retiring
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Did Hauenstein get Biffle'd?
Well, Tim, what are we supposed to think about all this?
Wow, big news! Wait a second does anyone hear that sound? Hmm, wait it's getting louder!! Even louder!!! Ahhhhh what is that!?!?
Oh wait...
That's just the sound of Tim crashing out. Carry on!
So who would you consider the person who drove the SkyMiles devaluation, the push for dynamic pricing, and the basic lack of value the SkyPesos program offers to their customers that it's famously known for.
wow... 2 comments and I am in both of them.
Hauenstein is the smartest people in US aviation regardless of what Scott Kirby thinks of himself.
That said, Delta will move on without a ripple. Joe Esposito has been at Delta for a very long time and has been well schooled on the strategies that Hauenstein has used.
I'm not sure what Bastian is waiting for. If anything, having Hauenstein retire makes it less likely that Bastian will walk away in the next year; Wall Street doesn't like to see lots of exec changes in a short period of time
I guess he couldn't generate any more profits through devaluations. Good riddance.
Bastian comes across as more of a politician than an executive (yes many executives lean that direction but they typically aren’t breakthrough memorable executives)
A good CEO (for a publicly listed company) is a good communicator and brand executor.
It's the folks one rung down, like Glen who do the heavy lifting.
Most importantly, everyone should be comfortable in their role and enjoy it. Hopefully Glen is exiting with an embroidered cushion that recognizes the success he has brought to the entire team.
Well someone need to take over AA, and that I thought would be Ben Smith, but here another option.
I am sure my learned son, Tim Dunn, will be the next President of Delta. He will make the airline great again.
Only in America someone retiring at 64 raises eyebrows, should be long retired already
just between us, 1990, I think Hauenstein is going to get a lot of announcements out the door before he retires.
Expect a busy first two months of 2026 for DL announcements.
(you are duly advised, Ben)
Many companies have CEO and President, sometimes as the same or as different people; Delta has Bastian (CEO) and had Hauenstein (President); United does this too (Kirby, Hart); however, Isom at American’s does both roles.
That comment cost you 750,000 SkyPesos! And the best we can get you is Delta Comfort to Albuquerque. Enjoy your Biscoff.
Tim did you submit your resume yet?
Getting fired doesn't disqualify you again right?
Woohoo! I’m strapped-in and buckled-up. Turbulence or smooth sailing. Let’s go!
These comments are so cringe. Already people salivating and waiting for Tim to say something, but they're also the same people that will whine about it when he actually does.
My excuse for reading/posting herein is that although I am retired, I still have a thirst for knowledge. Some commenters provoke comments.
Others like Eskimo simply post to cause a reaction upon which they can feed their addiction. One is obliging on occasion.
Now 1990, is a slightly different organ grinders monkey. A monkey who believes that the readership should be treated like mushrooms …. keep in the dark while being fed on his BS. All day and every day he tries to convince us that he is just another interested reader, really? No! Not on your life Gunga Din!
A 64 y/o with a 20-year employment history, finishing with a high-ranking position within Delta... I bet his pension pot must be pretty juicy. I salute people who know when to stop working, and start enjoying their retirement...if this is also his case, that is...
Work should not, and cannot, be everything.
Perhaps some temp consulting that pays a fat cheque from time to time... But that's all
Ben S, "Given that Bastian is 68 years old, I can’t help but wonder who could eventually replace him… is there anyone beyond Esposito who would even be on the radar, given that Delta will definitely promote from within for that role?"
That's the question. Succession planning anyone? Who followed Crandall, Herb or Bethune?
A big change for Delta as Glen Hauenstein steps into retirement after years of shaping the airline’s growth and premium direction. His impact on Delta’s success is hard to ignore. Wishing him all the best and curious to see how the next chapter unfolds for the airline.
Basically, this guy has found every way possible to rip off Delta's customers. The 70 international destinations are mostly flown on POS 739s and 763s. Miserable. Global leading? What a joke.
Meh, at leas the RUCs and GUCs mostly confirm at booking, unlike PlusPoints and systemwide upgrades (dying on the waitlist, but, hey, at least United will give you a free snackbox as a 1K while you enjoy your exit row after failing to get upfront).
DL is a business. Do you say the same thing every time you walk into a retail location or shop on the internet? if you don't, you should.
businesses are always in a tension between what customers want and what businesses can charge but DL has clearly found that balance better than any airline on the planet.
You have quite the imagination. Besides, (many, but not all) mushrooms are delicious and nutritious. Why you gotta bring Kipling into this? I presume you were thinking of the film... yeah, quite the use of 'makeup' in that one... oof, a different time.
It is most significant that Joe Esposito fits DL's model of career employment, starting at the airport and working his way up to overseeing the "brains" of the revenue generating operation at DL.
Hauenstein and Bastian did not start their careers at DL but they still fit the model of career employment at DL, something that is rare in the industry.
Esposito undoubtedly has some of his own ideas but has learned to understand Hauenstein's mind and execute what his boss wanted.
and yet Delta is as strong as it is because it does not live on the shoulders of any one person.
That is unlike how Scott Kirby thinks and operates - or Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos or any other icon of business.
You know, these days, it is rare for anyone in the corporate world to have stayed at one company for decades (35 years, beginning in.... 1990... niccce), working their way from the bottom-up (starting with customer service in Orlando). So, yeah, three-cheers for loyalty and commitment...
Tim, yes, yes, the whole 'we're a business, not a charity... we know. This owners-management-workers-consumers spectrum is quite the 'fun' tug-of-war, especially when 'owners' are increasingly the big banks and the product is credit-card-loyalty-programs, more so than flying planes and serving passengers. Where will this all go in the coming decades?
At least Kirby has Hart; it's Isom who's a one-man-show. I'm always down for trashing Elon and Jeff; those two have not been good stewards of their great wealth or influence, lately. Much prefer what MacKenzie has done with her 'half.'
So wasnt your boy Biden still in office at 82. And he acted that old as well. No pressers, very few public appearances. Falling off bike, tripping up the stairs on Air Force 1 etc.
I can't believe no one here is acknowledging that Hauenstein was the architect of awarding miles based on spend, not distance. He was the one who basically caused the invention of the term "SkyPesos" because of the crazy award amounts. He pushed for less transparency and gaslighting customers that Delta was America's "First Class Airline" despite flying 30 year old aircraft with 7" LCD scratched up screens in Delta One or First. Take a look at DAL's financial reports; he did VERY well in terms of compensation. Wall Street loved him, but I think customers who do know about him will have mixed thoughts at just how far he pushed the limits of loyalty.