By Dean Seal

Delta Air Lines is shaking up the top leadership team following the retirement of its longtime president and the upcoming departure of its operations chief.

The airline said Thursday that John Laughter has shared his plans to retire as chief of operations in late April after more than 30 years at the company. He is leaving shortly after Glen Hauenstein, Delta's president for nearly a decade, retired at the end of February.

The exits have Ed Bastian reshuffling the C-suite as he enters his second decade as Delta's chief executive. The company is promoting Peter Carter, Delta's chief external officer, to the role of president.

Dan Janki, the company's chief financial officer since the summer of 2021, will take over Laughter's position as chief operating officer starting next month. To fill the gap, Delta is naming Erik Snell, currently the chief customer experience officer, its next finance chief.

Laughter isn't the only executive heading out. Alicia Tillman, Delta's chief marketing officer since June 2023, has decided to leave the company to pursue other leadership opportunities, Delta said. The company has tapped Ranjan Goswami, currently the senior vice president of customer experience design, to become its chief marketing and product officer.

Delta has additionally called on Alain Bellemare, president of its international business, to also serve as chairman of the TechOps division previously helmed by Laughter.

Bastian said in a memo to employees that the management changes, set to take effect in April 1, are meant to "shape Delta's journey for years to come."

Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 05, 2026 08:00 ET (13:00 GMT)

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