Longtime Delta Air Lines president and airline industry veteran Glen Hauenstein will retire at the end of February.
Hauenstein will stay on with Delta in an advisory role through the end of 2026, Delta disclosed in a memo to employees on 17 December.
Chief executive Ed Bastian credits Hauenstein with developing Delta’s premium revenue model, which has been critical for the Atlanta-based carrier’s global growth and steady profitability.
”I could not have asked for a better co-pilot to help lead Delta in becoming the best-performing airline in the world,” Bastian says.
“His impact on Delta, and the industry overall, cannot be overstated.
After time in leadership positions at Alitalia and Continental Airlines, Hauenstein joined Delta in 2005.
He led the team that ”transformed our network from a primarily domestic operation to a global footprint that connects the world”, the airline says. ”Thanks to his leadership, Delta today flies to six continents, with extended reach through an array of joint venture partnerships.”
Delta does not signal immediate plans to fill the soon-to-be-vacant president position. However, it has named Joe Esposito – currently the company’s senior vice-president of network, pricing and revenue management – as executive vice-president and chief commercial officer.
Esposito has worked for Delta since 1990, starting in a customer service position in Orlando. Delta says he has spent of his time at Delta working closely with Hauenstein to build its premium model and global network.
“No one is better positioned to lead these critical functions as we move into Delta’s second century of flight,” Bastian says.
It has been an eventful week for major C-suite shakeups at US airlines. On 15 November, Frontier Airlines disclosed that it is parting ways with CEO Barry Biffle, naming president James Dempsey as interim CEO.
