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Article - Tech

Delta rolling out free inflight Wi-Fi

by Jeffrey Teruel - Founder/Editor-Flights in Asia
Published on August 13, 2024

Summary

Delta Airlines will be rolling out free inflight Wi-Fi across its international network starting this summer.



Delta Airlines will be rolling out free inflight Wi-Fi across its international network starting this summer.


The Atlanta-based airline announced that passengers flying on select Viasat-equipped long-haul international flights this summer will be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi provided by US-based T-Mobile.


According to Delta, free, streaming-quality connectivity is available on nearly 700 aircraft – more than 90% of the airline's domestic mainline fleet – as it expects the vast majority of its customers to have access to the product before year's end. Similar to the approach taken with the installation on its domestic network, the wi-fi roll-out will be done on a route-by-route basis. Additional routes will be phased in as high-quality, reliable services becomes available.


“As we continue to roll out fast, free Wi-Fi and the in-flight experiences it powers, we’re able to serve customers traveling both domestically and internationally in new, in-the-moment ways,” says Ranjan Goswami, S.V.P. – Customer Experience Design. “The scale at which we’re bringing free Wi-Fi to customers is unmatched in the airline industry, and it’s a testament to the incredible efforts of Delta teams across the business that have expertly navigated an extremely complex rollout.”


Delta noted that during the transition period, there may be coverage gaps which could result in the lack of availability of Wi-Fi. Some aircraft will have paid Intelsat Wi-Fi until they are outfitted and upgraded with satellite Wi-Fi.


International Wi-Fi Rollout


Already introduced on most of its flights to/from France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Nice), Delta stated the Wi-Fi rollout on international flights will start this month on Viasat-equipped flights to the Europe.


The rollout schedule is as follows on Viasat-equipped aircraft, dependent on testing and satellite availability.


August – United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and Italy

September - Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland

October- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) followed by Hawaii

December/January 2025 – Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal)

Mid-Late 2025 - Transpacific - Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa 

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