Delta Is Launching Free Wi-Fi on International Flights

After launching free Wi-Fi on most of its domestic mainline fleet early in 2023, Delta is readying to do the same internationally.

The airline has started to roll out free Wi-Fi on some long-haul international flights and the expectation is that it will add the feature to most transatlantic flights by the end of the summer.

Some of the already launched routes include flights on Viasat-equipped routes to the U.K., Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. In September, Delta will add other European routes, including those to Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Then, in October, Delta is planning to roll it out to South American routes and Hawaii. Other international destinations, including Africa and Transpacific routes, will get it towards the end of 2024 and then mid-to-late 2025.

The international Wi-Fi will not require a SkyMiles log-in at first. However, it will require it later this year when the Wi-Fi gets converted to personalized Delta Sync Wi-Fi, which is the same process that Delta has in place for its domestic Wi-Fi.

The news is another step in Delta’s years-long journey. CEO Ed Bastian started Delta on this journey at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas in early 2020, teasing the offering right before plans were knocked off course because of the pandemic.

Three years later, on the same stage, Bastian told the audience that domestic Wi-Fi was coming, announcing that onboard Wi-Fi “is going to be free…is going to be fast…and is going to be available to everyone.”

Delta has since launched free Wi-Fi on 90% of its domestic mainline fleet. It expects “the vast majority” of its customers will have access to Wi-Fi by the end of the year.