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In July, Delta Air Lines began to roll out free T-Mobile wi-fi on select long-haul international routes, and it has now confirmed that the rollout is being expanded and it has published an expected timeline for the whole of its international network.
Delta has told us that almost 700 of its domestic aircraft (~90% of its domestic fleet) now offer its customers ‘free, streaming-quality connectivity’, and that it’s routes to/from Hawaii will offer free wifi from October 2024, so its next big aim is to get a similar offering out to all its customers who fly internationally.
As things stand, free wifi is now available on most flights between the United States and France (Paris CDG & Nice), and the rollout is gathering pace from there.
The timeline
Going forward, the following Viasat-equipped routes to/from the United States will offer free wifi onboard for all passengers.
August 2024
Rollout starts on routes to:
- Germany
- Italy
- The Netherlands
- Spain
- The United Kingdom.
September 2024
Rollout starts on routes to:
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Switzerland
October 2024
Rollout starts on routes to:
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
December 2024/January 2025
Rollout starts on routes to:
- Ghana
- Nigeria
- Senegal
Mid- to late 2025
- Transpacific routes including routes to Asia, Australia and New Zealand
- South Africa
Here, Delta has been less than clear as ‘mid to late 2025’ can cover 6 or 7 months, so it’s probably best to keep expectations low and simply say that flights between the US and these countries/regions should offer free wifi by the end of 2025.
Take note that the dates in Delta’s timeline are for when the rollouts are expected to start, so there’s a chance that not all flights to/from the UK, for example, will have free wifi by the end of August.
Coverage gaps
Apparently, not all the necessary satellites are yet orbiting the earth to allow for seamless connectivity and coverage for the full length of every flight, so coverage gaps will exist for a while.
Delta says that some aircraft will continue to offer paid Intelsat wifi until the necessary satellites are in place to allow Delta to provide a good quality service.
To find out if free wifi will be available on their flight, customers can visit delta.com/wifi for more information.
In addition, Delta says that the emails that it sends out pre-flight and its app notifications will inform customers what wifi service to expect onboard.
Bottom line
We now have a better idea when to expect Delta to offer free high-speed wifi on its international routes with select routes already offering the service, and with the airline’s routes between the US and Europe already starting to see free wifi rolled out.
The rollout for Europe should be mostly complete by late 2024 but flights across the Pacific are unlikely to see free wifi offered before mid- or late 2025.
