Christopher Hazleton
Director at DAL
Board
About Christopher A. Hazleton
Christopher A. Hazleton, 57, has served on Delta’s Board since June 20, 2019 as the ALPA-designated Pilot Nominee. He is a Delta Air Lines Captain flying the Airbus A330 and previously flew for Northwest Airlines until its merger with Delta. He serves on the Safety & Security Committee and brings frontline airline operations and labor-relations perspective to the boardroom. He is not considered independent under NYSE standards because he is a current Delta employee and the ALPA Pilot Nominee .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | Captain, Airbus A330 | Current | Frontline airline operations; labor-relations perspective to Board via ALPA Pilot Nominee |
| Northwest Airlines | Pilot | 1999 until Delta-Northwest merger (year not specified in proxy) | Transitioned to Delta pilot upon merger |
| Delta MEC (ALPA) | Chair, Strategic Planning Committee (prior role) | Not disclosed | Labor strategy experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Pilots Charitable Fund | Chairman, Board | Current (not dated) | Non-profit leadership among pilot community |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments and leadership:
- Safety & Security Committee member; committee chaired by Michael P. Huerta. The committee met 5 times in 2024 and oversees operating safety/security, related policies, and public health matters .
- Independence status:
- Not independent. The proxy states 12 of 14 nominees are independent, “all except the CEO and ALPA nominee;” Hazleton is the ALPA Pilot Nominee under an agreement with the Delta MEC/ALPA .
- Attendance and engagement:
- In 2024, the Board met 5 times, and each director attended at least 75% of Board and relevant committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting. The Board routinely held executive sessions without the CEO, presided over by the non-executive Chair .
- Board structure context:
- Delta maintains an independent non-executive Chair and highlights anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies for all employees and the Board, and a prohibition on ownership of specific airline competitors’ stock by the Board and officers .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount (2024) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flight earnings (employee pay) | $542,396 | Delta pilot compensation determined by collective bargaining agreement with ALPA |
| Shared rewards/profit sharing (employee) | $50,666 | Company-wide profit-sharing program; paid to employees |
| Delta retirement plan contributions (employee) | $102,027 | Company contributions related to retirement plans |
| Total employee compensation | $695,089 | Sum of the above |
| Director fees | $0 | As a Delta pilot representative, he is not separately compensated for Board service |
| Director flight benefits | Not eligible beyond employee benefits | Director flight benefits program excludes Hazleton beyond his employee benefits |
Context (non-employee director program; not applicable to Hazleton): Annual cash retainer $120,000; committee chair retainers $20,000 (Audit $30,000; P&C $25,000); annual equity grant $200,000 in restricted stock; non-executive Chair equity grant $320,000 .
Performance Compensation
| Component | Performance Metric(s) | Target/Weighting | Result/Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared rewards/profit sharing (employee) | Company profit-sharing program (specific pilot metrics not detailed in proxy) | Not disclosed | Paid $50,666 for 2024 |
Note: Hazleton does not participate in Delta’s non-employee director equity grant program; he receives no director-specific cash/equity compensation .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships listed (dash in “Other Public Boards”) |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Airline/Transportation industry expertise; frontline operational insight and labor-relations perspective as ALPA Pilot Nominee .
- Safety oversight experience via Safety & Security Committee membership, which reviews safety/security goals, policies, compliance, and public health matters .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Beneficial Ownership (shares) | % of Outstanding | As of Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher A. Hazleton | 300 | <1% | April 18, 2025 | Less than 1% for each listed individual; no footnotes for Hazleton |
Policies affecting alignment and risk:
- Anti-hedging and anti-pledging policy applies to all employees and Board members .
- Prohibition on ownership of specific airline competitors’ stock by Board and officers .
- Non-employee director stock ownership guidelines (5x cash retainer or 35,000 shares; 50% net shares hold-until guideline achieved) apply to non-employee directors; Hazleton is an employee director and not in scope for this program .
Section 16 and insider activity:
- Company review indicates required Section 16(a) reports for directors and executive officers were timely filed in 2024–2025, except one late Form 4 for another officer; no delinquency indicated for Hazleton .
Governance Assessment
- Independence and potential conflicts:
- Not independent due to current employment and status as the ALPA Pilot Nominee. His compensation is determined by a collective bargaining agreement, and he is designated by the Delta MEC; this provides valuable labor insight but represents a structural conflict versus standard independence criteria .
- Board effectiveness:
- Brings direct operational safety and labor relations experience aligned with his Safety & Security Committee role; committee met 5 times in 2024, indicating active oversight cadence .
- Alignment and incentives:
- No director-specific fees or equity; compensation is entirely employee-based (flight earnings, profit sharing, retirement contributions). Personal ownership is modest at 300 shares, though risk controls (anti-hedging/pledging; competitor stock prohibition) mitigate misalignment risks .
- Attendance and engagement:
- Met the company-wide attendance threshold; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting; routine executive sessions bolster independent oversight (led by the non-executive Chair) .
RED FLAGS and mitigants:
- RED FLAG: Not independent (ALPA labor representative seat) .
- Mitigants: Audit Committee oversight of conflicts and related party transactions; company-wide anti-hedging/pledging; competitor stock ownership prohibition; director flight benefits not extended beyond his employee benefits .
Citations: