CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Delta Air Lines DAL
CEO: Ed Bastian · Airlines · 100,000 employees
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines (DAL), earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2019. Delta Air Lines receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of C (60/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 107:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 87.5%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -3.2%.
How Delta Air Lines CEO Pay Compares
Ed Bastian's $8.0M total compensation is 0% below the Airlines industry median of $8.0M. The 107:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 17% lower than the industry average of 129:1.
Total compensation for Ed Bastian at Delta Air Lines (DAL) was $8.0M. Mid-cap public-company CEO packages tend to track this pattern — equity-heavy, multi-year vesting, performance-tied.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio runs 107x. Lower ratios typically reflect companies with higher-paid workforces (financial services, technology, professional services) where the median worker pay denominator is itself substantial. Performance has been muted across the three-year window: -3.2% TSR, 0.7% revenue change. Stagnant performance combined with substantial CEO pay is the classic setup for proxy-advisor opposition on say-on-pay votes.
Shareholders supported the compensation package at 87% on the most recent say-on-pay vote. Solid support without overwhelming endorsement is the typical pattern for established public companies with conventional compensation programs. Delta Air Lines operates in Airlines with 100,000 employees and $61.6B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $35.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Delta Air Lines (DAL).
Compensation Breakdown
Ed Bastian's $8.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2019 includes $800K in base salary, $4.0M in stock awards, $960K in option awards, and $1.2M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2018 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2017 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
| 2016 | $800K | - | $4.0M | $960K | $1.2M | $880K | $8.0M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
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Peer CEO Compensation
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Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines (DAL), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines (DAL), earns $8.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Delta Air Lines has a Pay-for-Performance Score of C (60/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -3.2%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 87.5% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Delta Air Lines is 107:1. The median worker at Delta Air Lines earns $75K per year, while CEO Ed Bastian earns $8.0M in total compensation.
Delta Air Lines employs approximately 100,000 people. The company operates in the Airlines industry within the Industrials sector, generating $61.6B in annual revenue.