Delta's Wi-Fi is already free. Now it's getting faster
Delta Air Lines already has free Wi-Fi on more than 1,000 of its airplanes. Now, the airline's internet is set to get a lot faster in the coming years.
The Atlanta-based carrier on Tuesday announced a new Wi-Fi partnership with Amazon Leo, the tech giant's satellite service. Delta's tie-up with Amazon will see the airline upgrade its inflight Wi-Fi on 500 of its planes to start, with installations beginning in 2028. Browsing is expected to remain complimentary for members of the carrier's SkyMiles program.
Delta is the second U.S. airline to sign on to Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper), following a similar move last fall announced by JetBlue. The high-speed service uses similar tech to Starlink, relying on constellations of satellites in low earth orbit to create a snappy browsing experience similar to what you'd find on the ground.
Related: Delta is trialing Bluetooth headphone pairing on more of its planes
"This agreement gives us the fastest and most cost-effective technology available to better connect the world today," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement announcing the news Tuesday.
The onboard Wi-Fi upgrades continue
Onboard Wi-Fi is in the midst of a major renaissance aboard U.S. airlines. Each of the six largest U.S. carriers now either offers free Wi-Fi to loyalty members or is in the process of rolling out complimentary service.
Beyond that, a growing number of airlines have also announced plans to beef up their service. After shifting to free Wi-Fi in October, Southwest Airlines recently said it would upgrade some of its planes' internet to Starlink beginning this year. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines are each in the midst of deploying Starlink across their fleets as well, which is free to access for MileagePlus and Atmos Rewards members, respectively.
If you haven't tested the internet connection on a plane that has the latest and best internet tech of late, you'll likely be pleasantly surprised. On many flights today, you can stream video, listen in on a Zoom meeting or work with an artificial intelligence chatbot without internet — all web-surfing activities common in day-to-day life on the ground.
More and more planes should get these tech improvements in the months and years to come.
Bottom line
So far, Delta has only announced plans to outfit a portion of its jets with the fast new Amazon Leo service.
Don't be surprised if the carrier prioritizes planes most in need of an internet upgrade. For instance, I was on board a transcontinental flight that had free Wi-Fi last week, and the browsing speeds weren't exactly top-notch — but they are fast on many of Delta's planes today.
The airline has existing Wi-Fi partnerships with two other well-known providers: Hughes and Viasat, the latter of which is also a Wi-Fi provider for American Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue and others.
Related reading:
- Your complete guide to the Delta SkyMiles program
- Best Delta credit cards
- Delta Medallion status: What it is and how to earn it
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Delta basic economy: What you need to know about bags, seats, boarding and more