Glen Hauenstein

President, Delta Air Lines

Search every verified Glen Hauenstein interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Glen Hauenstein, former president of Delta Air Lines, discussed his career and industry insights on the Airlines Confidential podcast in June 2026, following his retirement. He reflected on changes he led at Delta, including shifting the frequent flyer program to a dollar-based earning model, which he said altered how passengers perceived ticket prices. He also commented on competition in the airline industry, noting that legacy carriers historically struggled to respond to low-cost airlines, and discussed premium cabin economics, stating that paid load factors in first class were low before changes were made. In earlier appearances, Hauenstein spoke at Delta's 2024 Investor Day and on the company's Q2 2024 earnings call. At the investor event, he discussed the airline's focus on premium products, technology investments, and network strategy, including a shift toward U.S. point-of-sale traffic. On the earnings call, he reported strong performance in Delta Premium Select, with load factors in the mid-to-high 80s and fares more than double coach, and noted that U.S.-Japan business travel remained strong while leisure demand benefited from favorable exchange rates. He also mentioned that Delta was testing AI applications and working to improve data quality for those systems.