18 hours ago
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There's some mixed news about Delta Air Lines' free, fleet-wide Wi-Fi rollout.
Starting with the positive updates, the Atlanta-based carrier has officially enabled free Wi-Fi on all transatlantic voyages to and from Europe, West Africa and Israel. This means that travelers on most transatlantic flights can connect to the internet by simply signing into their SkyMiles account.
(The notable exclusion for transatlantic free Wi-Fi service is on service to and from Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.)
Furthermore, Delta will also roll out free Wi-Fi on international routes to South America later this spring.
However, Delta noted that internet connectivity could vary depending on aircraft positioning relative to the internet satellites in the air. For instance, some polar routes might not have connectivity for the entire flight.
Stateside, the carrier has officially begun replacing its most ancient air-to-ground Wi-Fi service with a far-upgraded connectivity experience. This includes the airline's regional jets, which will soon receive Hughes Wi-Fi antennas to not only enable faster, more reliable gate-to-gate connectivity but also provide free internet access on these planes.
The airline has completed its first CRJ-700 internet retrofit, with more upgraded regional jets expected to enter service in the coming months. (This is a similar solution to what American is doing on its regional jets, but American still charges for Wi-Fi.)
As part of the regional jet upgrades, Delta will also start equipping its Boeing 717 mainline fleet with a dual-network connectivity solution. It wasn't immediately clear which provider and configuration Delta would use on the 717 fleet, but the airline said in 2023 that it was partnering with Hughes Network Systems to bring Wi-Fi to these planes.
Boeing 717 internet upgrades aren't going to kick off until the fourth quarter of this year, with full completion slated for early next year — representing a roughly yearlong delay from the original timeline.
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Delta also said that select upcoming deliveries of select new Airbus A350-1000 and Airbus A321neo will be equipped with a dual-network internet experience. TPG reached out to a spokesperson to learn more about these upgrades and will update this story when we hear back.
But while Delta has done a great job equipping most of its fleet with free Wi-Fi, some major exceptions remain, including transpacific flights and service to South Africa.
When it first announced free Wi-Fi at the Consumer Electronic Show in 2023, the airline said that it would fully complete the rollout by the end of 2024. Last year, that timeline slipped until some point in 2025, and now, once again, the timeline is being delayed until 2026 — at the earliest.
The airline hasn't shared when it plans to complete the free Wi-Fi rollout, which is likely frustrating to flyers on routes that still feature paid (and less reliable) Wi-Fi.
Even more concerning to folks in Atlanta might be the catch-up game that United Airlines is playing with free Wi-Fi. The Chicago-based carrier announced last year that it would install free fleet-wide Starlink Wi-Fi, which is poised to be even faster and more reliable than Delta's existing free Wi-Fi provider, Viasat.
Of course, United just got its first jet certified with free Wi-Fi, so Delta still has United beat by more than 700 aircraft. (The undisputed leader in free Wi-Fi is JetBlue, which offers free Viasat connectivity on every single jet in the fleet.)
That said, United is promising an accelerated rollout schedule across its regional fleet, so perhaps the Chicago-based carrier will do the same when it comes time to equip its mainline fleet.
Either way, the good news is that onboard internet is getting faster, more reliable and considerably more affordable (if not free) across the board.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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