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Delta Air Lines passengers will soon have access to free WiFi onboard aircraft.
Travelers will see free wireless Internet available starting Feb. 1 on over 500 Delta aircraft flying the airline’s “most popular routes,” according to the airline. The new service is offered in partnership with T-Mobile.
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The number of Delta aircraft offering free Wi-Fi is expected to reach over 700 by the end of the year, the company said. The airline plans to make it available across its fleet by the end of 2024.
Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 aircraft flying over Myrtle Avenue to land at London Heathrow Airport LHR, a famous place for planespotters, on a summer day. (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 everyday life, and your journey with Delta should be no different,” he said. “Our vision has long been to provide an experience at 30,000 feet that feels similar to what our customers have on the ground.”
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To connect to free Wi-Fi, passengers on equipped aircraft must sign in with their SkyMiles number and password. Aircraft equipped with the free Wi-Fi will have a “new sticker near the boarding door,” according to Delta.
Customers can connect on multiple devices at once, the airline said.
FILE PHOTO: Delta Air Lines planes are seen at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. (Portal/Andrew Kelly/File Photo/Portal 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 been working with Viasat Inc. since early 2021 to offer enhanced connectivity. Announcing its collaboration with Viasat, the airline said the relationship will “lay the foundation for a rich, fast and free in-flight internet experience, as well as future enhancements and personalization on customers’ seatback screens.”
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The airline had reportedly conducted tests to provide free Wi-Fi a few years earlier.
| ticker | security | Last | To change | To change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 35.23 | +0.84 | +2.44% |
Reports that Delta would offer free Wi-Fi starting 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.