Delta Has Some Good News on Its Free Wi-Fi Rollout

The airline is now offering free Wi-Fi on its smallest planes, too.

Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines finally and officially launched its free Wi-Fi offering on eligible domestic flights. In March, it announced it was planning to take it one step further, and added speedy internet on select international flights, thanks to a partnership with Viasat. Now, Delta is going the extra mile, and it is bringing free, fast, and streaming-capable connectivity onto its smaller regional jets.

Delta partnered with satellite connectivity provider Hughes to make this possible, and it announced that 400 of its Boeing 717s will be equipped with the new technology starting mid-next year. For passengers, that means that there won't be any more limits when it comes to being online while flying. Regardless of your aircraft or length of flight, you'll be able to stream, game, chat, scroll through social media, you name it. Plus, even on the regional jets customers will have access to Delta Sync, the airline's exclusive portal that allows for free 24-hour streaming pass to Paramount +, among other benefits. 

Next year is going to be huge for Delta's connectivity upgrades. As the airline previously announced, by the end of 2024, all international Delta jets will be equipped with the new Viasat connectivity system, and in the meantime, the airline will work to switch its old Wi-Fi system provider to the new Viasat. For a limited period of time and until a critical number of jets are converted to the new Wi-Fi, passengers will still have to pay to access the Viasat connection. However, once enough planes are updated, Delta will make the service free for all travelers. 

By implementing free Wi-Fi, Delta joined other carriers in the free connectivity mission, including JetBlue and other international airlines.

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Serena Tara is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.