US airline Delta Air Lines now offers free WiFi on international flights as well. The airline announced on Wednesday that free internet will be offered on connections between the United States and German cities during August.
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It added that membership is not required to enter the airline’s SkyMiles Bonus program. In the future, the free WiFi offer will be integrated into “DeltaSync,” a new platform for Internet and personal entertainment offers. You will then have to register with the bonus program, but it is free.
Free internet access has been available to passengers for a few weeks on the first routes between the United States and France. Other European destinations, including Switzerland, will follow by the end of October; in 2025, connections to South America and Africa will also be added.
To Atlanta, Detroit and New York
Delta serves a variety of routes to and from Germany depending on the season. The airline connects major airports in Frankfurt and Munich to its US hubs in Atlanta, Detroit and New York (JFK). The current summer flight schedule also includes flights between Berlin and New York, as well as Atlanta and Stuttgart.
The condition for free internet is that the aircraft used has already been converted. So far, about 700 machines used on US domestic routes have been equipped accordingly, which corresponds to about 90 percent of the domestic fleet. Free WiFi has been available on US routes since last year.
Delta is now also equipping its long-haul aircraft with Viasat’s satellite technology for international routes. T-Mobile is involved as an Internet provider. Thus Delta is replacing the old technology of its previous partner Intelsat/Gogo, which was responsible for Delta’s previously paid Internet offering.
Viasat continues to expand its satellite fleet. It is expected that by 2025 a constellation of three satellites will largely cover North America, Europe and the Pacific region. In April 2023, the first satellite of the constellation called “ViaSat-3”, planned for North America, was launched into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon rocket. The other two satellites are scheduled to be launched into space in 2024 and 2025.
Otocast MX 3in1 in the test: Adapter for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessHowever, there were problems with the condition of Viasat-3 K1. One of the satellite’s antennas could not be extended as planned. In early August, Viasat put the satellite into operation despite the sanctions. It delivers only about one-tenth of the nominal bandwidth of 1 terabit per second.
Satellite and mobile communications
Internet connection via satellite is one way passengers can go online on airplanes. This is not possible without satellites, especially on international routes over oceans or the polar region. Norway has recently launched two new satellites, which Viasat also wants to use to provide better coverage in the Arctic region in the future.
Elon Musk’s Starlink also provides internet for airlines and is already being used by the first airlines. Following US regional carrier VSX, Hawaiian Airlines, airBaltic and ZipAir also now use Starlink service. Qatar Airways was the first major airline to announce in May that it would equip three Boeing 777s with Starlink internet. Internet should be free in Qatar too.
Ground-based and hybrid systems have also been installed for continental flights over land. Deutsche Telekom and Viasat jointly operate the European Aviation Network (EAN) in Europe. Viasat acquires original EAN partner Inmarsat in 2023. The aircraft is connected to the Internet via satellite and multiple LTE ground stations.
Lufthansa also uses EAN for its FlyNet program. Since January, Lufthansa passengers have been able to use the messenger free of charge on European routes – if they have a Lufthansa Travel ID or a “Miles & More” number. An Internet connection for surfing (4 Mbit/s) costs 6 euros for the duration of the flight. Internet over long distances is quite expensive.
The condition is that passengers board a properly equipped Lufthansa Airbus A320. Not all machines are yet equipped with the technology, which also comes from Viasat. Also, A320s and A220s from Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss are to be equipped from October.
With more than 950 aircraft currently grounded, Delta Air Lines is one of the world’s largest airlines along with its US competitors United Airlines and American Airlines. The company was recently hit hard by the CrowdStrike fiasco. Thousands of flights were cancelled and the carrier estimates losses at half a billion US dollars. Delta is seeking damages from CrowdStrike and Microsoft. They reject the allegations.
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