That held true even after Delta merged with the heavily unionized Northwest Airlines in 2008; employees for the combined companies voted down unionizing. Bastian says there was room for only one company’s culture—Delta’s. “We didn’t treat this as a merger of equals,” he says. “Companies make the mistake of wanting everyone to feel great. We were very clear about the Delta brand, while the Northwest culture was contentious, with strikes and unrest.” The unions were initially skeptical, he says, but “buy-in happens. It’s taken years, but it’s a success.”