Good news for those who want to stay connected to the internet while flying! According to Forbes, “Delta Air Lines will start offering free internet to passengers in 2023, concluding a four-year goal by Delta to offer free in-flight service as other airlines try new business models for offering Wi-Fi to customers.”
When In 2023 Will Free Wi-Fi Be Available On Delta?
The carrier is expected to offer the service to SkyMiles loyalty program members in early 2023.
Forbes reports that “the service will be offered to more of [Delta’s] fleet later in the year.”
Delta Considered Free Wi-Fi Before
In 2018, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian, announced at a forum that he wanted to make free Wi-Fi available.
But he didn’t specify the timeline.
“I don’t know of anywhere else, besides in an airplane, that you can’t get free Wi-Fi,” Bastian said at a forum. “We’re going to make it free.”
Forbes explains, “the notion of in-flight Wi-Fi is far from new, but its successful execution is; we all know the frustrations of being promised in-flight Wi-Fi only to be disappointed to hear that it’s not yet installed or simply not working.”
Other Carriers Have Entertained The Idea
Competitors like American Airlines, Southwest and JetBlue “have offered or announced plans to offer free internet.”
Delta’s Chief Customer Experience Officer, Allison Ausband, explained, “as we look at that onboard experience, we want our customers to be as stimulated as they want to be in the air.”