An Update on SkyMiles and Delta’s Internet Free-Flight Program: First Results from the CET 2011 Consumer Electronics Show

Several years have elapsed since the announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show. A priority is to offer free Internet across its fleet but there needs time to improve it so passengers won’t have a hard time with slow speeds.

The internet providers it uses are Intelsat and Viasat. However, it did test out the Starlink but that won’t be coming anytime soon. While its paid subscription works with both, people with certain T-Mobile plans can get free internet on a limited number of flights, and everyone can send some types of messages for free on most flights.

Passengers will need to be a member of its free SkyMiles loyalty program to access the on-board internet. Customers who aren’t members will have to pay a flat fee of $10.

In-flight internet on airlines has been subject to complaints for inconsistent speeds. However, efforts by a host of satellite providers and airlines have helped the technology evolve significantly in the past decade — though it still has some catching up to do to compare to home and office networks.

The partnership would add more SkyMiles members within a year. However, Delta ended up adding 1 million new members within two weeks of its launch.