Delta takes its in-flight WiFi service global, 150 long-haul aircraft to receive Internet by 2013

Good news Internet addicts, Delta Air Lines is to start offering in-flight Internet service on its long-haul international fleet, which encompasses around 150 aircraft including Boeing 777, 767, 747, Airbus 330 and transoceanic Boeing 757.

The satellite Internet service will kick in from early 2013, and will complement its existing air-to-ground service which is already in place for domestic flights.

The Atlanta, Georgia headquartered airline is among the biggest providers of WiFi-enabled aircraft in the world, with more than 3,000 flights each day hooked up to the World Wide Web. This includes its entire fleet of 550 domestic mainline aircraft, and more than 800 Delta aircraft in total, including all Delta Connection two-class regional jets.

Back in March we reported that Delta was to start providing in-flight Wi-Fi access to e-commerce powerhouse Amazon.com and Amazon’s mobile-friendly sibling site AmazonWireless.com, free of charge.

The deal with Amazon expanded Delta’s offer of free content and services for passengers who make use of its in-flight WiFi service. Delta’s WiFi portal, dubbed ‘Delta Connect’, also provides free access to real-time travel information, news content from The Wall Street Journal, People magazine and more.

Its new international service will use high-bandwidth Ku-band capacity satellites to provide coverage. By the time its roll-out is complete in 2015, Delta plans to operate around 1,000 WiFi-equipped aircraft in its worldwide fleet.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, with Delta and the Delta Connection carriers servicing 350 destinations in 65 countries on six continents.

Feature Image Credit: Deanster1983 | Flickr