Delta announces free Wi-Fi beginning February 1
Travelers will see the service become available on 'most popular routes'
Delta Air Lines CEO: Summer travel volumes busiest in history
Ed Bastian discusses the challenges facing the airline industry as labor shortages persist on 'The Claman Countdown.'
Delta Air Lines passengers will soon get access to free Wi-Fi onboard planes.
Travelers will see the free wireless internet start being available on over 500 Delta planes flying the airline’s "most popular routes" on Feb. 1, according to the airline. The new service is being offered in partnership with T-Mobile.
DELTA LIFTS ITS 2023 GUIDANCE AS TRAVEL STOCK TAKES OFF
The number of Delta planes offering free Wi-Fi is expected to reach over 700 by the year's end, the company said. The airline plans to make it available across its entire fleet by the end of 2024.
Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 aircraft as seen flying over Myrtle avenue during a summer day for landing at London Heathrow Airport LHR, a famous spot for planespotters. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
CEO Ed Bastian first announced the news at CES 2023 on Thursday.
"At work, at home and everywhere in between, connectivity is essential to daily life, and your journey on Delta should be no different," he said. "Our vision has long been to deliver an experience at 30,000 feet that feels similar to what our customers have available on the ground."
DELTA MAKES IT HARDER, MORE EXPENSIVE TO GET INTO ITS AIRPORT LOUNGES
To connect to the free Wi-Fi, passengers traveling on planes that have it must log in with their SkyMiles number and password. Planes equipped with the free Wi-Fi will have a "new decal located near the boarding door," according to Delta.
Customers will be able to connect on multiple devices simultaneously, the airline said.
FILE PHOTO: Delta Air Lines planes are seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 2: A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-251 arrives at Los Angeles international Airport on September 2, 2022. ((Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Delta has partnered with Viasat Inc. since early 2021 to offer enhanced connectivity. When the carrier announced that it was teaming up with Viasat, it said the relationship would "lay the groundwork toward a full, fast and free in-flight internet experience as well as future enhancements and personalization on customer seatback screens."
US CARRIERS ADD TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHTS FOR TRAVEL-HUNGRY CONSUMERS
The airline had reportedly conducted tests for supplying free Wi-Fi a couple years prior to that.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 63.82 | +0.20 | +0.31% |
Reports that Delta would start offering free Wi-Fi in 2023 surfaced last month, when The Wall Street Journal covered the story, citing people familiar with the matter.
Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.