Ahead of DAL Earnings, Elon Musk Mocks Delta's Starlink Snub: 'Accessing the Internet Is Utterly Impossible'

Benzinga Earnings17:05

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk doubled down on his criticism of Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) over the flight operator snubbing Starlink in favor of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Leo satellite internet service.

AI Models Should Be Trained on Delta Airlines

In a post on the social media platform X, Musk mocked Delta’s in-flight Wi-Fi and connectivity. “Excited to announce that all super intelligence organizations have now jointly agreed to the ultimate in AI/SI safety,” Musk said. He then added that the companies had decided to move “all testing to Delta Airlines flights, where accessing the Internet is utterly impossible!”

Excited to announce that all super intelligence organizations have now jointly agreed to the ultimate in AI/SI safety:Moving all testing to Delta Airlines flights, where accessing the Internet is utterly impossible!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2026

Musk, in late September, said that the best way to “sandbox” AI models was to put them on Delta flights, jokingly saying that the company’s lack of internet connectivity on board its flights could double up as an effective AI containment tool.

Read Also: Bill Gates Says Aviation Is One of the Hardest Sectors to Decarbonize Amid Skyrocketing Fuel Costs—Here's His Solution

The Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO had also criticized Delta CEO Ed Bastian over the airline’s Starlink snub. Musk warned that Bastian could stand to lose his position as the CEO after reports emerged that Bastian reportedly said Delta omitted Starlink because it did not want to work with Musk.

Musk also warned that Delta could lose customers over Starlink, with its rival United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) offering Starlink connectivity on its flights, as a recent video showcased a passenger streaming a college football game on a flight across multiple devices.

Delta Earnings

Delta will report its third-quarter 2026 earnings before the opening bell on Friday, as analysts expect the company to report EPS of $1.76 per share, up from last year’s $1.71 per share during the same period.

Delta, during the previous quarter, reported EPS of $1.56 per share, beating analyst expectations of $1.47 per share. It reported revenue of $19.76 billion, exceeding Wall Street estimates of $18.57 billion, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Market estimates point to Delta reporting $18.92 billion in revenue for the third quarter. Delta shares were up 0.41% to $82.48 during overnight trading on Thursday.

Read Also: Florida, Georgia, Alabama Declare States of Emergency, Gulf Coast Evacuations as Isaias Intensifies to Category 2

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Photo courtesy: IAB Studio on Shutterstock.com

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap
Leave a comment