Delta COO Mike Spanos to step down in September

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines Chief Operating Officer Mike Spanos will be leaving the company in September.

According to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, Spanos told him earlier in the summer that he would be looking at other career opportunities.

Friday, Bastian told Delta staff that Spanos had found another position and would be leaving early next month to enter a new role.

Bastian said that under Spanos’ leadership, Delta had advanced its performance and continued to lead the airline industry across all operating metrics.

The Delta CEO also said the company had “seen significant reductions in injuries during the first half of 2024 versus last year,” and that Spanos had worked closely with the finance and commercial teams to improve asset utilization and the company’s go-forward strategy.

“Mike was a great admirer of Delta’s culture and shared our core values of always putting people first. He embraced our servant leadership philosophy and fostered strong connections with the people of Delta through his humble and empathetic style of leadership. At this time, we do not plan to backfill his role,” Bastian said.

Going forward, “John Laughter, E.V.P. and Chief of Operations and President, Delta TechOps, and Allison Ausband, E.V.P. and Chief Customer Experience Officer, will report” to Bastian directly.

The company did not release information about where Spanos was going next.