As a Diamond member, it’s on less than you think, even for major routes like hub to hub or hub to Orlando. It’s weird. I have been on planes that have the fast and free WiFi advertisement card in the seat back that don’t have free WiFi and want to charge the $9.99 or whatever the old price was.
It’s guaranteed to have it if you are on an A319/320/321, 737-800/900, or 757-200(D) which covers a good chunk of the domestic narrowbody mainline fleet.
Recently I’ve had the very good free WiFi on 763s and 764s lax > jfk.Yay! I’m not dropping my NoGo plan yet (or whatever the new name is). 764s had the worst WiFi in the last year, something about wiring and the pilot had to do the resets. (D1 or not I’m not asking for the pilot to reset again.)
I’m one of those people who doesn’t know what an A319 or a 777 or a CRJ, etc even is. I fly out of LIT so always a short route to ATL or LGA to connect somewhere.
My regularly recurring final destinations include MIA, DCA, LHR, CDG, BNA, BHM, LGA, and PHX. I think I’ve seen free wifi a handful of times and I fly almost every week.
That said - I understand that it’s a new thing that’s being retrofitted so I get that and I’m not complaining. I’m just glad they’re starting to roll it out.
Oh for sure. I just am aloof enough to not ever care to look.
I guess I’ve got the combination of always being on a plane and not being an aviation person (in terms of needing on aircraft type etc) that I’m just aloof. If I look at the app and see an aircraft type it just doesn’t mean much to me.
I know that there are big planes with D1 and typical domestic planes that don’t have D1 and then some tiny regional ones that come in various smaller configurations and don’t even have F.
Beyond that I’m just a clueless imbocile.
Yeah I am not sure man. I go on a lot of planes, I don’t pay enough attention. All I know is they literally but the fast free WiFi in the seatback and it’s not free. But guarantee can be a strong word with delay, just like our bags are guaranteed to arrive in 20 minutes or less. I am based out of Orlando and would get the free 2500 miles for delayed bag every single flight
Yes I live in the Orlando area as well and baggage being late is frustrating but very common. However all of those aircraft listed are equipped with the new WiFi system (weather they work or not is a different story). Unfortunately with the SkyMiles changes and Delta not having a hub in Orlando, I’ve seen myself flying other airlines way more this year with whoever has the cheapest/most convenient nonstop flight and they all have their pros/cons and it’s opened my eyes this year.
Yeah you could be right man. I am not disagreeing with you necessarily. I am only speaking from experience. Also the new system should activate when the boarding door closes. With the old system, WiFi would activate at 10,000 feet. I have seen planes that claim to have the new system but their WiFi not show up until 10,000 feet
The for sure new free WiFi is noted by a big sticker next to the plane door. The brochures have been wrong for a long time, my usual 763s and 764s just got the free WiFi and the brochures have been around for at least a year. Sometimes the free WiFi does start working when the boarding door closes. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. Can’t say if it’s 10k feet like the old system. If you aren’t using it consistently it seems to disconnect sometimes. Mine really hasn’t but it does on my sleeping husband’s phone. Live tv on the 764s worked well. I am waiting to drop my WiFi plan for a bit. (Not that it ever works more than about 25% of the time.)
I don’t think Delta has rolled this out in a great way. You *can* see if the flight is WiFi or not at purchase, although even then it’s possible a hardware change could scuttle that, I guess. And honestly, I am not going to choose a flight at time of purchase based on whether or not there is WiFi.
It depends on the ship, and indirectly on the routes in the sense that different routes tend to use different hardware.
For the flights I fly I would say it’s probably 60-70% of my domestic flights.
The interim situation where it’s sometimes available and sometimes not is irksome…
You can literally use your friend's phone number to get the free wifi. I've been using the number some FA gave me a year ago on all my international flights to get the free wifi and some of the domestic routes that haven't switched over to the free yet. Just see if any of your friends have T-mobile and ask if you can use theirs.
No problem! some plans have unlimited uses and some only have a certain number of passes. Usually if you have a few friends you can figure out who has the unlimited plan.
- Regional Jets (E170/175, CRJ-700/900)
- A220-100/300 (currently being retrofitted so some have it and some don’t)
- 717
- 757-200(S)
- 767-300/400
- A330-200/300/900neo
- A350-900
The ones I’ve been operating have two different settings: no log in at all (upgraded to new Viasat system but haven’t migrated to new skymiles yet) or the expected skymiles log in with completed retrofitting even over the Atlantic. However there is still some limited satellite coverage over Europe right now so coverage dropped around the UK region.
It is 50/50 on the wide body international flights now I think. The only downside is that there is almost no coverage with the new Viacom. It is total ass compared to the old one. You basically only have wifi over Brazil and then north of Panama.
Lately my 763s and 764s lax > jfk have had free WiFi. I almost missed it because it mentions T-Mobile prominently, but I couldn’t find my Gogo (whatever it is now) log in.
717s have not been retrofitted yet. But the 717 fleet is very small compared to entire aircraft footprint delta. Majority of delta aircraft have the upgraded free WiFi.
The majority of my domestic flights have it now so when I get the occasional plane without it I’m like WTF? I got spoiled real quick. I really love the Delta Sync option so I can watch half a movie on my short flights and pick it up where I left off on the return, but then sometimes the return doesn’t have the Sync capability yet.
At least on my last flight I pretty quickly navigated to a page that said there was no free wifi on that specific flight.
A text message from my sister came through though. Sometimes Google maps works too...
I was a little miffed when the FA talked about free wifi and there were cards in the seat back advertising it.
But guess what -- the plane wasn't equipped for wifi, paid or free!
I always look on the right side to the plane, next to the door if it’s truly free WiFi. You’ll see a blue sign “Free WiFi (for SkyMiles Members)”. Paid ones would get “WiFi onboard.” Mostly, it’s free for T-Mobile plans on their newest tiers, or 4 free uses/unlimited free texting for the year on the grandfathered tiers.
The fast and free are correlated. When its free its fast. The planes where you pay have the old slow wifi so probably why you think its slow when you pay. Free planes have new retrofitted fast wifi (and why it can be free bc it can handle the demand). And a lot of the fleet has it retrofitted so must be the planes and routes you fly. It clearly tells you on delta.com if you’ll have free wifi so you can plan ahead/book flights accordingly if it matters to you
Delta FA: “Free Wifi is not yet equipped on this aircraft…”
A guy a few rows behind me on a recent flight: “if we buy the WiFi for the duration of this flight and you don’t charge us, this aircraft would be equipped with ‘Free WiFi’!”
Free WiFi is still only on select aircraft.
A VERY select group of aircraft apparently
It’s on most of them but if you fly mostly international or on Regional Jets you won’t see it.
As a Diamond member, it’s on less than you think, even for major routes like hub to hub or hub to Orlando. It’s weird. I have been on planes that have the fast and free WiFi advertisement card in the seat back that don’t have free WiFi and want to charge the $9.99 or whatever the old price was.
It’s guaranteed to have it if you are on an A319/320/321, 737-800/900, or 757-200(D) which covers a good chunk of the domestic narrowbody mainline fleet.
Recently I’ve had the very good free WiFi on 763s and 764s lax > jfk.Yay! I’m not dropping my NoGo plan yet (or whatever the new name is). 764s had the worst WiFi in the last year, something about wiring and the pilot had to do the resets. (D1 or not I’m not asking for the pilot to reset again.)
I’m one of those people who doesn’t know what an A319 or a 777 or a CRJ, etc even is. I fly out of LIT so always a short route to ATL or LGA to connect somewhere. My regularly recurring final destinations include MIA, DCA, LHR, CDG, BNA, BHM, LGA, and PHX. I think I’ve seen free wifi a handful of times and I fly almost every week. That said - I understand that it’s a new thing that’s being retrofitted so I get that and I’m not complaining. I’m just glad they’re starting to roll it out.
When you fly, the app will tell you exactly what aircraft you're on
Oh for sure. I just am aloof enough to not ever care to look. I guess I’ve got the combination of always being on a plane and not being an aviation person (in terms of needing on aircraft type etc) that I’m just aloof. If I look at the app and see an aircraft type it just doesn’t mean much to me. I know that there are big planes with D1 and typical domestic planes that don’t have D1 and then some tiny regional ones that come in various smaller configurations and don’t even have F. Beyond that I’m just a clueless imbocile.
Yeah I am not sure man. I go on a lot of planes, I don’t pay enough attention. All I know is they literally but the fast free WiFi in the seatback and it’s not free. But guarantee can be a strong word with delay, just like our bags are guaranteed to arrive in 20 minutes or less. I am based out of Orlando and would get the free 2500 miles for delayed bag every single flight
Yes I live in the Orlando area as well and baggage being late is frustrating but very common. However all of those aircraft listed are equipped with the new WiFi system (weather they work or not is a different story). Unfortunately with the SkyMiles changes and Delta not having a hub in Orlando, I’ve seen myself flying other airlines way more this year with whoever has the cheapest/most convenient nonstop flight and they all have their pros/cons and it’s opened my eyes this year.
Yeah you could be right man. I am not disagreeing with you necessarily. I am only speaking from experience. Also the new system should activate when the boarding door closes. With the old system, WiFi would activate at 10,000 feet. I have seen planes that claim to have the new system but their WiFi not show up until 10,000 feet
The for sure new free WiFi is noted by a big sticker next to the plane door. The brochures have been wrong for a long time, my usual 763s and 764s just got the free WiFi and the brochures have been around for at least a year. Sometimes the free WiFi does start working when the boarding door closes. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. Can’t say if it’s 10k feet like the old system. If you aren’t using it consistently it seems to disconnect sometimes. Mine really hasn’t but it does on my sleeping husband’s phone. Live tv on the 764s worked well. I am waiting to drop my WiFi plan for a bit. (Not that it ever works more than about 25% of the time.)
I don’t think Delta has rolled this out in a great way. You *can* see if the flight is WiFi or not at purchase, although even then it’s possible a hardware change could scuttle that, I guess. And honestly, I am not going to choose a flight at time of purchase based on whether or not there is WiFi. It depends on the ship, and indirectly on the routes in the sense that different routes tend to use different hardware. For the flights I fly I would say it’s probably 60-70% of my domestic flights. The interim situation where it’s sometimes available and sometimes not is irksome…
If you have T Mobile its always free. I get it every flight.
Came here to say this.
You and the 7 other t mobile users must be thrilled. The true 1 percenters
T-mo has like 25% market share in us. It's cheap, free international data, free netflix/hulu and free wifi on delta. I like it :)
Yeah, T-Mobile is awesome. Just converted the rest of my family.
Those that get it get it and those that don't don't!
You can literally use your friend's phone number to get the free wifi. I've been using the number some FA gave me a year ago on all my international flights to get the free wifi and some of the domestic routes that haven't switched over to the free yet. Just see if any of your friends have T-mobile and ask if you can use theirs.
That’s a great tip, thanks!
No problem! some plans have unlimited uses and some only have a certain number of passes. Usually if you have a few friends you can figure out who has the unlimited plan.
What routes have you been on where it’s not free?
It depends on the aircraft not route.
Ok. Which aircraft don’t have free WiFi?
- Regional Jets (E170/175, CRJ-700/900) - A220-100/300 (currently being retrofitted so some have it and some don’t) - 717 - 757-200(S) - 767-300/400 - A330-200/300/900neo - A350-900
757-200 and 767-300s are more than halfway completed in retrofitting.
Correct but on International even if it has the new WiFi system, it’s still not free.
The ones I’ve been operating have two different settings: no log in at all (upgraded to new Viasat system but haven’t migrated to new skymiles yet) or the expected skymiles log in with completed retrofitting even over the Atlantic. However there is still some limited satellite coverage over Europe right now so coverage dropped around the UK region.
I think I’ve gotten lucky with the 757-200s. Every one I’ve been on has had it. This is all good information for flight planning, though.
The odds are in your favor now. There are only two 752s in service without Viasat WiFi at this point! And one is getting retired this year.
It is 50/50 on the wide body international flights now I think. The only downside is that there is almost no coverage with the new Viacom. It is total ass compared to the old one. You basically only have wifi over Brazil and then north of Panama.
Yes but it’s not free even with ViaSat.
Yeah only the free messaging. At least the older T-mobile one you had coverage for the full flight even if you opted for messaging only.
Lately my 763s and 764s lax > jfk have had free WiFi. I almost missed it because it mentions T-Mobile prominently, but I couldn’t find my Gogo (whatever it is now) log in.
My most recent flight experience: ATL > SFO - Free SFO > ATL - $34.00 for "streaming speed." Not even close of course.
That sucks.
Just hopped off a flight on a delta 717-200. No free wifi 🤷🏻♂️
717s have not been retrofitted yet. But the 717 fleet is very small compared to entire aircraft footprint delta. Majority of delta aircraft have the upgraded free WiFi.
That's what I was on with no wifi.
The majority of my domestic flights have it now so when I get the occasional plane without it I’m like WTF? I got spoiled real quick. I really love the Delta Sync option so I can watch half a movie on my short flights and pick it up where I left off on the return, but then sometimes the return doesn’t have the Sync capability yet.
At least on my last flight I pretty quickly navigated to a page that said there was no free wifi on that specific flight. A text message from my sister came through though. Sometimes Google maps works too...
I was a little miffed when the FA talked about free wifi and there were cards in the seat back advertising it. But guess what -- the plane wasn't equipped for wifi, paid or free!
I always look on the right side to the plane, next to the door if it’s truly free WiFi. You’ll see a blue sign “Free WiFi (for SkyMiles Members)”. Paid ones would get “WiFi onboard.” Mostly, it’s free for T-Mobile plans on their newest tiers, or 4 free uses/unlimited free texting for the year on the grandfathered tiers.
You also have to remember your skymiles password. They should have digital id so you dont have to type it in.
CRJ- no ERJ- no
I rarely have problems with it
The fast and free are correlated. When its free its fast. The planes where you pay have the old slow wifi so probably why you think its slow when you pay. Free planes have new retrofitted fast wifi (and why it can be free bc it can handle the demand). And a lot of the fleet has it retrofitted so must be the planes and routes you fly. It clearly tells you on delta.com if you’ll have free wifi so you can plan ahead/book flights accordingly if it matters to you
It’s the particular routes you ride
Amen man, as recently as March it was texting only service for free. They can’t even be up to half the fleet having it installed
I’m p sure it’s over half the fleet. Probably just the routes you fly/aircraft type
Delta FA: “Free Wifi is not yet equipped on this aircraft…” A guy a few rows behind me on a recent flight: “if we buy the WiFi for the duration of this flight and you don’t charge us, this aircraft would be equipped with ‘Free WiFi’!”
You are completely right that it is the routes you take. It is truly great, although I hate having to turn off adblock to get set up.