Delta Air Lines delays free Wi-Fi rollout

05.03.2024 - 15:48 / thepointsguy.com / Airlines

There's been a service interruption to Delta Air Lines' free Wi-Fi rollout.

The Atlanta-based carrier will no longer meet its original goal of fully rolling out free fleet-wide internet access by the end of the year. Instead, the airline now says that it'll take at least a few more months to get all its jets connected with the latest technology.

Delta did not commit to a specific date in 2025. Rather, it said that travelers should expect to enjoy free Wi-Fi on all planes "into 2025."

In a statement to TPG confirming the delay, a carrier spokesperson shared that "Delta expects the vast majority of our customers to have access to fast, free Wi-Fi by the end of 2024 and expects select remaining regional and international routes will come online into 2025. Our teams are hard at work ensuring we have the best technology onboard to deliver the experience customers expect at scale and reliably across our network."

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Of course, this delay represents a big bummer to those who find themselves on one of Delta's planes still configured with an old internet system. The airline expects free Wi-Fi to be available on more than 90% of its total available seat miles — an industry metric that measures an airline's carrying capacity — by the end of 2024.

Still, that 10% gap won't be filled until some point in 2025.

Until now, Delta promised to have the free Wi-Fi rollout complete by the end of this year. The airline officially flipped the switch on free Wi-Fi at the beginning of last year. This is a project that's been years in the making, and it's now a key competitive advantage for Delta. (JetBlue is the only other U.S. carrier offering free Wi-Fi.)

Delta now has more than 650 aircraft enabled with free Wi-Fi. Most wide-body jets serving domestic and long-haul routes will be upgraded to Viasat's latest satellite connectivity by the end of the year, but the free Wi-Fi option will only be enabled on a route-by-route basis to start.

The airline says that it's phasing in free long-haul Wi-Fi to "rigorously evaluate ... performance" on every individual route. Some polar routes pass through limited satellite coverage, so Delta could be testing the service to ensure it can offer high-speed internet to all passengers.

In addition to the wide-body fleet, Delta already promised to debut streaming-capable Hughes connectivity across its fleet of 400 regional jets, as well as the Boeing 717. This rollout has also been delayed, as the first regional aircraft is set to come online later this year, followed by the Boeing 717 in 2025.

Until Delta finishes the rollout, select regional and international routes won't receive free Wi-Fi. There's no