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Free WiFi on Delta: A New Choice Benefit Idea?

Chris Carley by Chris Carley
January 14, 2022
in Airlines
9
Delta Airlines Airbus A319 (registration N354NB) in flight shortly before landing at the Los Angeles World Airport (LAX).

(©iStock.com/Angel Di Bilio)

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

Should a free WiFi plan on Delta Air Lines flights be a new Choice Benefit for Diamond and Platinum Medallions?

Free WiFi on Delta

Delta’s talked for a few years about offering free WiFi. The topic came up in March 2019. Later in 2019, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said he’s a “firm believer we need to make WiFi free.” But the technology for a quality product wasn’t quite ready.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Last year, Delta introduced Viasat high-speed internet on many narrowbody aircraft. Since then, we haven’t heard anything about Delta offering free WiFi on all flights.

I’ll believe free WiFi on Delta when I actually use it.

That’s not necessarily a dig at Delta.

It’s just that we’ve heard about free WiFi for almost three years. Various complications (like a pandemic and all its related problems) likely delayed things. So who knows when the plan will actually come to fruition?

Delta Diamond and Platinum Medallion luggage tags

Free WiFi as a Delta Choice Benefit?

Redditor EatSleepFlyGuy posted to the r/Delta subreddit a screenshot of a survey question he was asked. Delta asked his opinion on whether or not during his next Delta flight he’d (theoretically) watch a 15- to 30-second advertisement on a personal electronic device — in exchange for “free, fast-streaming WiFi” during his flight.

But Redditor StuckinSuFu (denoted as a Diamond Medallion member) said, “(I would) spend a Choice Benefit on yearly wifi access over the $200 credit.” (A $200 Delta flight credit is available as a Choice Benefit.)

Several other commentators agreed (including the thread’s creator, the aforementioned EatSleepFlyGuy).

I thought that was quite an interesting suggestion.

WiFi as a Choice Benefit vs. Paying for It

In order for free Wifi to be worth someone cashing in a Choice Benefit, that person would have to fly Delta fairly often — and actually use the WiFi.

Planes featuring the Viasat option currently offer gate-to-gate WiFi for just $5 per flight (at least, it was five bucks the last time I flew on a Viasat-equipped Delta plane).

Others Delta passengers are subject to the going Gogo rates which are, if I remember correctly, $16 for a flight or something like $25 for an entire day. For what it’s worth, GoGo’s 2Ku also is a gate-to-gate product.

There also are two monthly plans available: $49.95 for domestic and $69.95 for global.

So depending on how much someone flies, it’s entirely possible someone could get a lot of value out of free WiFi being a Choice Benefit.

And it may be a solid offer for Delta, too.

Given that Delta recently devalued upgrade certificates, free WiFi would give people another solid option for their Choice Benefits. And I can’t imagine it would cost Delta that much money. Plus, those who’d select free WiFi as a benefit instead of upgrade certificates give Delta that many more Premium Select and Delta One seats to sell.

An $840 annual global WiFi pass is probably easier on Delta’s wallet than swallowing a couple of Delta One upgrades that otherwise could’ve been sold.

Final Approach

In a perfect world, Delta would already offer free, streaming quality WiFi to everyone. And that seems to be the plan. But until then, I think the Choice Benefit route is a good option while phasing in free WiFi to everyone else.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the below Comments section!

 

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Tags: Delta Air Lines
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Chris Carley

Chris Carley

Chris Carley is the owner, editor, and lead writer of Eye of the Flyer (formerly known as Rene's Points).

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New York, USA - April 30, 2012: Boeing 737 Delta Air Lines approaches John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, NY on April 30, 2012. Delta is the oldest airline still operating in the United States.

Check Your Delta Bookings -- Lower Fares Might Be Available

Comments 9

  1. Bob says:
    3 years ago

    I flew on 7 narrow body DL flights in Nov/Dec. Only 2 were equipped with the Viasat WIFI. I hope this slow roll out is not indicative of Delta’s response to any benefit for its top tier fliers.
    As a Diamond DL flier, I would certainly be interested in an annual Choice benefit of free WIFI. But based on the Viasat rollout, that I have experienced, any decision on a new benefit most likely would not occur much before 2024 or beyond.

    Reply
  2. Paul says:
    3 years ago

    They almost always get me with the $5 wifi. Most of my routes have had it lately (757, A321, 739) and it’s fast. I’m OK if they stick with that as a way to keep bandwidth high.

    Reply
  3. Rich says:
    3 years ago

    How about bringing back food and glasses, before free wifi. I’m a delta diamond, and I’m sick of the red boxes passed out in first class.

    I’m now flying AA and upfront service is far better.

    Reply
  4. Dave says:
    3 years ago

    An alternative way for ‘free WiFi’ is switching mobile carriers (if you’re not on T-Mobile), or moving to T-Mobile’s Magenta Max (or Magenta Max 55+, if you’re over 55) as if you have 2+ lines they’re no more than $45/line/mo, or less than the all you can eat NoGo. I added their service to the eSIM slot of my phone just for that.

    As for NoGo vs Viasat, I can say I guess ‘I got what I asked for’, being that in the early days (~2009 – 2011) of NoGo, it was still GoGo, but it progressively got worse over time with ever increasing slowness and outages along the route, the ‘we’re still deploying’ from the ATG -> 2Ku’ that’s been years in the making and the regular freeloaders of some promotion of free WiFi by someone like eBay, which all consumed b/w. GoGo never did anything with a DffServ-like service to separate out QoS between those that ‘paid’ and those freeloading, so the experience just got worse.

    Of the dozen or so domestic segments I’ve been on in the past couple months (of which BR (before ‘rona) I was about 140 – 200 segments a year so a lot of sampling), the majority were on Viasat planes vs NoGo, so my NoGo/T-Mobile did me no good and it was pay the $5 for Viasat.

    I’d be good with global WiFi being a Choice Benefit too as so many of the others have become near worthless.

    I’m also for ‘real meals’ back in the up front area too, as the box food is b.s.

    Reply
  5. Bill G says:
    3 years ago

    Funny that you feel they would clear the upgrade certificate instead of selling it. They won’t clear it unless they’re pretty darn sure it won’t sell.

    Reply
  6. Barry Graham says:
    3 years ago

    If $5 is the new normal price, that would make it less attractive to have it as a choice benefit.

    Reply
    • Chris Carley says:
      3 years ago

      Beauty is in the eye of Choice Benefit holder 🙂 . Several are the time that Regional Upgrade Certificates went unused because space was so limited.

      Plus, if you take, say, 60 flights a year, that’s potentially $300 in WiFi cost — perhaps more valuable than 20,000 SkyPesos.

      Reply
      • Barry Graham says:
        3 years ago

        The other point is that, in many cases, this is a business expense that can be claimed. For those that can’t claim, I agree that for the amount of usage you mentioned, it’s worth it. Also I would like to see it free eventually, as was promised, or as a benefit for Diamond and maybe Platinum without coming out of choice benefits.

        Reply
  7. Robin Breen says:
    3 years ago

    Good Morning
    I used to get free wifi on my Business AmX
    About to that up
    If you fly first class i think you should get free wifi
    Or if you have Delta Reserve – or any credit card That we now pay over $600 for !!!!
    Outrageous
    But if they are only charging $5.00
    Thats ok
    They weren’t for awhile

    Reply

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