THE United States carrier, Delta Air Lines has started rolling out fast, free Wi-Fi presented by T-Mobile on select long-haul international routes, a move described as major milestone in the airline’s journey to bring reliable, streaming quality connectivity to its entire global fleet for free.
To ensure Delta is delivering the premium service customers expect, the airline announced its rolling out fast, free Wi-Fi on Viasat-equipped widebody aircraft on a route-by-route basis while additional routes will be phased in as high-quality, reliable service becomes available. This strategy mirrors the approach taken with domestic installations in 2022.
Following the arrangement, most transatlantic flights are expected to be in service with free Wi-Fi by the end of the summer
Delta’s industry-leading Wi-Fi rollout which is taking off internationally starts this summer, with customers on select Viasat-equipped long-haul international flights having the privilege to enjoy fast, free Wi-Fi presented by T-Mobile – bringing the airline one step closer to recognizing its goal of offering free Wi-Fi on its entire global fleet.
According to the airline, the rollout will begin from August in United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Italy while it spreads to countries of Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland by September,2024.
By October 2024, the free wifi international opportunity is expected to be enjoyed by passengers flying to South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru) followed by Hawaii.
From December 2024/January 2025 Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal passengers will start enjoying the free wifi facility aboard all Delta Air Lines while transpacific region (including Asia, Australia and New Zealand) and South Africa) will begin to enjoy the facility by mid-late 2025.
According to the airline management, today, free, streaming-quality connectivity is available on nearly 700 of its fleet, more than 90% of Delta’s domestic mainline fleet – and the airline expects the vast majority of customers will have access to the product by the end of the year.
Commenting on the feat, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience Design, Ranjan Goswami declared: “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. 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.”
As free Wi-Fi rolls out internationally, the international Wi-Fi portal will not require a SkyMiles log-in initially. Later this year, all Viasat Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft will officially convert to the personalized Delta Sync Wi-Fi experience unlocked by customers’ SkyMiles memberships for exclusive onboard experiences and offers.
The airline however, described the rollout time as an expected timeline which is subject to change based on testing and satellite availability. Delta’s regional routes are expected to follow a similar process and come online into 2025, including those serviced by Boeing 717 aircraft.
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