Delta's laying the groundwork for free inflight internet with latest Wi-Fi move
In early 2019, Delta CEO Ed Bastian shared a goal for the airline to offer free, fast Wi-Fi on its flights within a year or two.
Carriers have obviously had to make some adjustments following the COVID-19 pandemic, but free connectivity still seems like a top priority for Delta, with the carrier inching closer to its objective with a big shift announced today.
In a notable news release Tuesday morning, Delta detailed plans to begin a shift away from Gogo Wi-Fi to instead join forces with rival Viasat.
As part of the connectivity tweak, Delta will begin offering Viasat service on a handful of narrow-body aircraft as soon as this summer, including new and retrofitted Airbus A321s, Boeing 737-900ERs and Boeing 757-200s. As of now, more than 300 Delta planes are slated to get the Viasat boost.
What remains unclear is whether or not the carrier's current free Wi-Fi partnership with T-Mobile will carry over to Viasat — a Delta spokesperson was unable to confirm whether or not T-Mobile customers will be able to score free Wi-Fi on Viasat-equipped planes.
JetBlue already offers free Viasat connectivity on all of its aircraft, and Viasat service can also be found on select aircraft operated by other top carriers, including American Airlines and United.
While 300 planes represents less than half of Delta's fleet, it's likely that the airline will continue to bring more aircraft onboard as Viasat's technology evolves.
ViaSat-3, the company's next-generation satellite network, could launch as soon as this year, adding connectivity over much of the globe while offering nearly eight times more capacity — good news for anyone hoping to stream content from 30,000 feet and surf the web just as they do at home.
While we're unlikely to see Delta offer unlimited free Wi-Fi across its fleet immediately, this latest move is clearly a step in the right direction. Unlike Gogo, Viasat controls the entire experience, including the satellite network, making it possible to bring costs in line with what Delta may need in order to make inflight Wi-Fi completely free.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
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- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month