Search Travel Market Report

cruise planners
Quark
mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Marilee Crocker
    • Paul M. Ruden
    • Dori Saltzman
Quark

Delta Air Lines Positions Itself for a Free Inflight WiFi Future

by Daniel McCarthy / January 05, 2021
Delta Air Lines Positions Itself for a Free Inflight WiFi Future

Photo: Delta Air Lines. 


On Tuesday, Delta Air Lines announced that it would adding a new inflight WiFi provider, Viasat, and launching a new Delta WiFi access portal with a new interface, as it continues to take steps to improve its customer experience even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The switch will be made during the summer, with Viasat installation coinciding with the delivery of new aircraft to the Delta fleet as it continues to pair the right WiFi provider (Delta’s previous provider was Gogo) with the right aircraft.

While Delta said that the move would improve customer experience inflight with higher speed and better capability onboard, including better streaming and more personalized content in the in-flight entertainment options, it also continues Delta’s mission of delivering free WiFi in the future. Something that is now becoming a very real possibility for the carrier.

“We are committed to delivering Free WiFi in the future, and this is a significant step on that journey,” Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Delta’s director of brand experience for in-flight entertainment said in a Q&A announcing the news.

Delta had been looking toward a future of free inflight WiFi for a while now. Delta CEO Ed Bastion specifically mentioned the possibility during his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last year, explaining that Delta was looking at the possibility of offering it sometime over the next couple of years.

Delta had also teased the offering with a two-week testing program that it launched in May 2019, a program that saw around 55 domestic flights operate with free WiFi to test capabilities onboard.

Now, with the new Viasat system, Delta will look to continue working toward that goal. The carrier said it will continue to test how it can best adopt to free WiFi flights—Dimbiloglu, in the Q&A, said that “delivering Free WiFi that is high-quality and streaming capable requires thorough testing to ensure our technology can handle the demand.”

But Delta’s “vision for the future of travel will not come to life overnight.” The carrier expects the move to take time, with the process from approvals to testing to implementation often taking several months.

Delta said it has even more plans in development and will share details soon.

  33
  0

MOST VIEWED

Brought To You By
  1. European Union Will Drop Its Mask Mandate for Travel Next Week
  2. 5 Client Types You Can Immediately Disqualify for a Virgin Voyages Cruise
  3. CDC Moves Four Destinations Into “High” Risk COVID-19 Level
  4. How Is the War in Ukraine Affecting the European River Cruise 2022 Season?
  5. Trivago Hit With Massive Fine from Australian Federal Court Because of “Misleading” Conduct
  6. American Express Confirms End to its Franchise Program

MOST EMAILED

Brought To You By
  1. European Union Will Drop Its Mask Mandate for Travel Next Week
  2. Japan Could Reopen to North Americans Next Month
  3. Japan Confirms Plan to Start Its Travel Reopening This Month
  4. 5 Client Types You Can Immediately Disqualify for a Virgin Voyages Cruise
  5. CDC Moves Four Destinations Into “High” Risk COVID-19 Level
  6. Advising Clients in a Maskless Travel World
Quark
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
European Sumer Travel Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels
European Sumer Travel Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels

U.S. travelers are heading back to Europe in numbers not seen since 2019.

Read...
How to See the 2024 Solar Eclipse in the U.S.
How to See the 2024 Solar Eclipse in the U.S.

The Solar Eclipse is going to be a star-studded event on April 8, 2024.

Read...
Japan Confirms Plan to Start Its Travel Reopening This Month
Japan Confirms Plan to Start Its Travel Reopening This Month

The move is a test for a further, wider reopening that could happen as soon as next month. 

Read...
CDC Moves Four Destinations Into “High” Risk COVID-19 Level
CDC Moves Four Destinations Into “High” Risk COVID-19 Level

One of the four countries is no longer accepting paper proof of vaccination upon entry. 

Read...
Emperor Quest: Snow Hill Island, Antarctica
Emperor Quest: Snow Hill Island, Antarctica

In 2004, a contingent of the Quark Expeditions team—widely regarded as the Leader in Polar Adventures—made Antarctic history when they conducted the first-ever ground visit to the remote Emperor penguin colony near Snow Hill Island. Driven by a true expeditionary spirit—and guided by years of polar expertise—the Quark Expeditions team sailed past masses of dense ice and apartment building-sized tabular icebergs in the Weddell Sea to experience the legendary rookery, which now numbers 8,000 breeding pairs of emperor penguins and their chicks. Today, it’s one of the most exclusive wildlife viewing experiences on the planet.

Read...
Carnival Breaks Ground on New Cruise Port Destination on Grand Bahama Island
Carnival Breaks Ground on New Cruise Port Destination on Grand Bahama Island

The new port destination is expected to open in late 2024 and will feature a pool, nature reserve and more. 

Read...
TMR Outlooks
Multi-Gen Outlook
Distribution Outlook (1)
New to Cruise Outlook
Expedition 2020
Wellness Outlook
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/87ira8MA_b8/0.jpg
MasterAdvisor: What's Trending in the Cruise Industry?
About Travel Market Report Mission Editorial Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News|Leisure Travel|Land Vacations|Cruise|Canada Retail Strategies|Well-Being|Luxury|Training
© 2005 - 2022 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy