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Few things are more convenient than staying connected while you're in the sky. Delta Air Lines understands this, and it's been hard at work improving the onboard experience over the past 10 months to reflect that.
This past January, Delta announced bold plans to introduce free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members across its entire global fleet by the end of 2024. Where are we in the process? Will this include regional jets?
Here's what travelers need to know about the status of Delta's expansive Wi-Fi rollout.
600+ Mainline Jets Are Wi-Fi Equipped Today
After 10 months of retrofitting, Delta notes that more than 600 domestic mainline aircraft are equipped with the new Wi-Fi product. According to the airline, SkyMiles members have logged over 32 million sessions in the last year and thoroughly enjoy access to Delta Sync — Delta's premier content hub made possible by the new Wi-Fi.
Delta's fleet is huge, so this is great progress in a relatively short amount of time. The Atlanta-based carrier is updating about 60 aircraft per month — assuming it started from scratch.
It's hard to know the exact number of aircraft that have received the necessary upgrades, but we do know the composition of Delta's fleet. The mainline portion, consisting of about 938 aircraft as of Q3 2023, looks like this:
| Aircraft | Number in Fleet |
| A220-100 | 45 |
| A220-300 | 18 |
| A319-100 | 57 |
| A320-200 | 60 |
| A321-200 | 127 |
| A321neo | 42 |
| A330-200 | 11 |
| A330-300 | 31 |
| A330-900neo | 23 |
| A350-900 | 28 |
| 717-200 | 74 |
| 737-800 | 77 |
| 737-900ER | 163 |
| 757-200 | 100 |
| 757-300 | 16 |
| 767-300ER | 45 |
| 767-400ER | 21 |
The airline is lumping in Boeing 717s with the rest of the subsidiary Delta Connection fleet, which means a deferred rollout of the new Wi-Fi until next year for these jets.
Subtracting the B717 and Delta's other international jets (A330, A350, and 767) that will see updates by the end of 2024, we're left with 705 mainline narrowbody aircraft. Back of the napkin math suggests Delta is close to wrapping up the introduction of free Wi-Fi to its domestic mainline fleet and could be done as soon as the end of the year.
600+ aircraft with the new product (out of 705) gives us a lot of hope that the project will be done shortly.
While these assumptions won't assure whether your next flight will have free Wi-Fi, Delta's website will. You'll see it on a banner above select itineraries like this:
Delta Will Equip International and Regional Aircraft by the End of 2024
If the bulk of your Delta flying is confined to long-haul jets or the B717, Delta plans to complete free Wi-Fi installation on these planes by the end of 2024. We'll hold out hope the airline moves swiftly to retrofit these planes as well.
2024 also will see Delta Connection planes that belong to Endeavor Air, SkyWest Airlines, and Republic Airways retrofitted with new Wi-Fi, which is huge. The Delta Connection fleet comprises 326 aircraft — 24 CRJ-700s, 162 CRJ-900s, 11 Embraer 170s, and 129 Embraer 175s.
Rounding it all up, here's the mainline fleet of 159 planes that should see upgrades next year:
| Aircraft | Number in Fleet |
|---|---|
| A330-200 | 11 |
| A330-300 | 31 |
| A330-900neo | 23 |
| A350-900 | 28 |
| 767-300ER | 45 |
| 767-400ER | 21 |
And the regional, non-mainline fleet:
| Aircraft | Number in Fleet |
|---|---|
| CRJ-700 | 24 |
| CRJ-900 | 162 |
| Embraer 170 | 11 |
| Embraer 175 | 129 |
Final Thoughts
Delta is investing plenty of resources into upgrading its onboard experience, and introducing a top-notch Wi-Fi experience across its global fleet by the end of 2024 is part of that endeavor.
If you're a Delta SkyMiles member who loves to stay connected while flying, you'll appreciate the extra savings and functionality of having fast, free Wi-Fi at your fingertips. It's only a matter of time until it's available on every jet.
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