# 'I Warned Them. It Will Get Much Worse': Elon Musk Blasts Delta's Amazon Wi-Fi Deal > Source: > Published: 2026-08-24 13:56:59+00:00 # 'I Warned Them. It Will Get Much Worse': Elon Musk Blasts Delta's Amazon Wi-Fi Deal ## Elon Musk warns Delta customers will keep choosing Starlink‑equipped rivals as United accelerates its Wi‑Fi rollout ahead of Amazon Leo's 2028 launch Tech billionaire Elon Musk has issued a severe warning to Delta Air Lines, claiming the carrier will experience escalating customer losses due to its decision to select Amazon Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi rather than [SpaceX](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/elon-musk-stock-crash-erases-87-billion-dollars-spacex-ai-infrastructure-costs-surge-sixfold-1812860)'s Starlink network. Musk's intervention on social media came as United Airlines accelerates its massive Starlink rollout, sharpening the stark contrast between Delta's projected 2028 deployment timeline and competitors that are already equipping hundreds of commercial aircraft. Delta announced earlier this year that [Amazon Leo](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/jeff-bezos-sells-amazon-shares-blue-origin-funding-1812319) would power free wireless connectivity across roughly five hundred planes starting in 2028. However, Musk has repeatedly criticised the arrangement since May, arguing that locking into a delayed timeline leaves the airline vulnerable while rivals secure rapid passenger migration. As digital debate intensifies across online platforms, industry analysts urge caution, noting that while connectivity shapes public discourse, passenger loyalty ultimately rests on foundational network infrastructure, flight schedules, and overall corporate revenue performance. ## Elon Musk Says Delta Will Lose More Customers to Starlink Musk's latest post, an eight‑word caption attached to a thread claiming that Delta customers were rebooking with rival airlines to access Starlink Wi‑Fi, quickly went viral, garnering more than 50,000 likes and 4,600 reposts within a day. 'I warned them. It will get much worse,' he wrote, framing the Delta–Amazon deal as a strategic misstep that will cost the carrier passengers in the near term. The substance of his argument rests on adoption. United now has 450 Starlink‑equipped aircraft in service and is targeting close to 1,000 by year‑end, with fleet‑wide coverage expected by 2027, according to its Q2 report and earnings commentary. United CEO Scott Kirby has told investors that faster in‑flight Wi‑Fi is a competitive advantage that can drive meaningful market‑share gains, not just a passenger perk. Starlink's momentum extends well beyond United. American, Southwest, and budget carrier Frontier have all signed deals in recent months, with American's agreement covering more than 500 narrowbody jets starting in 2027. That expanding list lends [Musk's warning](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/spacex-revenue-soars-short-seller-taunts-1812473) real weight: if passengers increasingly choose flights based on connectivity, Delta could be at a disadvantage over the next couple of years while it waits for Amazon Leo to catch up. Delta CEO Ed Bastian has defended the move on both price and technology grounds, saying Amazon beat Starlink on cost and offered improved bandwidth. Amazon Leo has roughly 400 satellites in orbit and is racing to scale its network before Delta's 2028 rollout, though the deal is not financially material to a company that posted $200.6 billion in quarterly revenue. ## Investors Should Watch Unit Revenue, Not Viral Posts Context matters. Delta serves more than 200 million customers and operates roughly 5,500 flights daily, so a few hundred visible complaints on X reflect social media posting behaviour rather than actual travel demand across a network of that size. Financially, both airlines are performing well heading into their next earnings reports. Delta is guiding to third‑quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.00 to $2.50 and full‑year adjusted earnings per share of $6.50 to $7.50, alongside a 15% dividend increase. United, meanwhile, raised its full‑year adjusted earnings per share guidance to a range of $9.00 to $11.00, even while absorbing significant additional fuel costs. Both airlines are benefiting from pricing power, and both have cited premium cabin demand as a bigger driver than any single onboard amenity. Stock performance reflects that broader strength. Delta shares are up roughly 16% year to date as of August 20, depending on the measurement window, and United shares are up roughly 16% as well. The spread between the two has been driven mostly by fuel exposure and revenue mix rather than Wi‑Fi providers. For investors, the practical takeaway is that airline switching costs run far deeper than in‑flight internet. Network size, flight schedules, and elite‑status programmes play a much bigger role in keeping passengers loyal. Free Wi‑Fi has become close to a baseline expectation across the industry rather than a true differentiator, with most major US carriers offering it. Wi‑Fi functions more as a tiebreaker than a primary driver of ticket sales. It becomes a meaningful factor only when unit revenue data actually shows customers shifting carriers. Both Delta and United are yet to report that kind of measurable impact. Both companies report earnings again in October, well before any Amazon Leo hardware appears in a Delta cabin. Investors watching this rivalry should focus less on viral social media posts and more on whether either airline's unit revenue trends show any real movement tied to connectivity, since that is the only signal that would actually confirm Musk's warning. For now, both major airlines continue to prioritise fleet efficiency, network reliability, and profitability across their extensive global operations. © Copyright IBTimes 2026. All rights reserved.