Beginning in February, Delta Airlines will offer free Wi-Fi on the majority of its aircraft. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian emphasized that the service would be free, quick, and accessible to everybody. In the past few years, the airline has made more than $1 billion in Wi-Fi technology investments, he continued. To use the onboard internet, passengers must be signed up for its free SkyMiles loyalty program. Non-member customers will be charged a one-time cost of $10.
At launch, more than 500 domestic narrow-body aircraft operated by Delta that travel on the carrier’s “most popular routes” will be equipped with free Wi-Fi, according to the firm. By the end of 2024, wide-body international and smaller regional jets will be in service. Customers will be informed if free Wi-Fi is available on their flight by a decal posted close to the boarding door. Additionally, they can simultaneously connect many devices.
Any airline that offers in-flight internet has long faced criticism for its patchy performance
It took several years to prepare the statement, which was presented on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show. In 2018, Bastian stated that providing free Wi-Fi throughout its fleet was a priority, but that the technology required time to be improved so that customers wouldn’t experience slow speeds.
Currently, Delta charges $70 for Wi-Fi on foreign flights and close to $50 a month on flights within North America. It has been experimenting with free Wi-Fi for a while, and in 2017 it made messaging cost-free. Any airline that offers in-flight internet has long faced criticism for its patchy performance. However, numerous satellite companies and airlines have worked to advance the technology over the past ten years; even so, it still lags behind home and office networks in terms of development.
Delta is the first of the “Big Three” airlines to provide free Wi-Fi
United Carriers (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) both have different prices for accessing the internet, making Delta the first of the “Big Three” airlines to provide free Wi-Fi. Since 2017, JetBlue (JBLU) has provided complimentary Wi-Fi.
The airline is making a bet that offering free WiFi will increase customer loyalty to Delta and help the approximately 100 million-member loyalty program grow. Delta and Starbucks (SBUX) teamed in October 2022, and the program started offering 1 mile for every $1 spent at the coffee shop. Within a year, according to Bastian’s prediction, the alliance will add 1 million new SkyMiles members. However, within two weeks of its inception, Delta managed to sign up 1 million new members.
