Peter Carter left Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis to become executive vice president and chief legal officer at Delta Air Lines in July 2015, and, unlike many top corporate lawyers, he flew above the radar.
In December 2015, Carter led Delta’s fight with federal regulators over control of dozens of gates at the three airports serving New York City. In May 2016, Carter was the public face of Delta’s abrupt decision to end its longtime sponsorship of local landmark Fox Theatre after it hosted a private event backed by rival Qatar Airways. Delta has feuded with airlines from the Persian Gulf, which receive about billions in subsidies from their governments, an arrangement that Delta argues violates Open Skies agreements and jeopardizes U.S. aviation jobs.
