Delta Air Lines announced on Friday that its chief operating officer, Michael Spanos, will be leaving the company next week to pursue a new opportunity after just over a year with the airline. Spanos, who had previously held positions at PepsiCo and Six Flags Entertainment, joined Delta in June 2023 and is one of three executive vice presidents at the Atlanta-based airline.
No specific reason was given for Spanos’ departure in the regulatory filing, but it was stated that he will receive the severance benefits entitled to him under the company’s plan for officers and directors. Spanos had received $8.6 million in compensation last year, primarily in stock awards.
According to CEO Ed Bastian, Spanos had informed him earlier in the summer about his intentions to leave Delta, a decision that was made before the recent technology outage that caused the airline to cancel thousands of flights. Spanos is set to transition to a new company in September, although the name of the company was not disclosed.
Bastian praised Spanos for his contributions to improving Delta’s performance and clarified that the airline will not appoint a new chief operating officer. Usually, chief operating officers oversee the day-to-day operations of a company and report directly to the CEO. However, at Delta, President Glen Hauenstein is commonly viewed as holding that role.
Delta faced significant challenges during last month’s technology outage, caused by a faulty upgrade from cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike to Microsoft Windows systems. While other airlines were able to recover within a few days, Delta had to cancel around 7,000 flights over five days as it grappled with crew reallocation and logistics issues. The U.S. Transportation Department is investigating the incident, and Delta is seeking $500 million in damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft, which deny Delta’s claims of declining assistance and making incorrect statements.