What You Need to Know About Delta’s Wi-Fi on International Routes
The Atlanta-based airline plans to offer the service across its entire international fleet by the end of next year
Photo: Courtesy of Delta
Delta Air Lines is expanding its free in-flight Wi-Fi offering to select international services, bringing the airline one step closer to achieving its goal of offering free connectivity across its entire fleet.
In partnership with T-Mobile, the Atlanta-based airline has already begun rolling out the free service on its long-haul aircraft equipped with Viasat technology, and passengers flying on select international routes with Delta can look forward to enjoying fast and free connectivity beginning this summer.
Photo: Courtesy of Delta Air Lines
Currently, free, high-quality Wi-Fi is available to passengers on nearly 700 aircraft, which represents over 90 percent of Delta’s domestic fleet. The service was recently introduced on most flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) in France.
Delta has also provided a timeline for the rollout of this service on flights to different regions across its international network. The airline aims to make this service available to its entire global fleet by the end of 2025.
Available on Viasat-equipped flights
Starting this month, Delta’s complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi will be accessible on Viasat-equipped routes to five additional important European markets: the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. It will then be progressively introduced on flights to the rest of its European markets – Iceland, Ireland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland – and Israel next month.
Photo: Courtesy of Delta Air Lines
Then, in October, Delta will roll out the service on eligible flights to South American destinations in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, followed by flights to Hawaii. It will then expand the service to flights to its African markets of Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal in December 2024 and January 2025.
Finally, it expects to introduce free Wi-Fi on transpacific flights to Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as on flights to South Africa, by mid-to-late 2025.
“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,” said Ranjan Goswami, SVP of Customer Experience Design at Delta.
“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.”
SkyMiles Requirement
Once the free Wi-Fi service reaches international routes, passengers won’t need to initially log in via their SkyMiles account. However, by the end of the year, Delta plans to convert all its Viasat-equipped aircraft to the personalized Delta Sync Wi-Fi portal, which will require a SkyMiles membership to gain access.
Photo: Courtesy of Delta Air Lines
Delta also confirmed some coverage gaps during the rollout process until more satellites are positioned to ensure full coverage. Where connectivity isn’t available, certain aircraft will offer a paid Intelsat Wi-Fi experience so that passengers can stay online throughout their flight should they need to.
