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Delta is joining Alaska and offering free messaging to passengers. According to the Delta News website, effective October 1, 2017, passengers flying on Delta aircraft equipped with Gogo Wi-Fi capabilities will be able to access free messaging.
Which Messaging Services Can You Use
While the offering doesn't include all messaging platforms, Gogo and Delta have the big ones covered:
- iMessage (Apple iPhone/iPad)
- Facebook Messenger
The new service will only support text communications, and you will be unable to send or receive picture messages, image files, or use the call function of the application.
Other Wi-Fi Options
This latest move by Delta is a step in the right direction, however, there are other ways you can benefit from free Wi-Fi onboard Aircraft. T-Mobile offers its customers a 1-hour free Gogo Wi-Fi pass, while T-Mobile One can have Gogo connectivity for the duration of the flight.
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Isso me parece ser muito bom! Pena que isso vai demorar muito a chegar em todas as companhias aéreas!
Estoy de acuerdo, sin embargo, estoy feliz de ver una tendencia hacia la conectividad adicional para todos.
That’s good , I hope it stays that way I don’t want loud passengers making whatsapp calls on my flight ,
Flying delta for the first time in….uh…..forever next week. I’ll be sure to give this a try!
A nice perk if flying Delta. Hopefully other airlines will follow suit and also consider adding more than just text messaging.
At least we get something back from Delta
Cheap and easy for them to do. Still doesn’t compare to Jetblue’s free wifi.
How reliable is the free messaging when using native SMS app on phone (not messaging apps like Facebook or iMessage which always go over WiFi). I always struggle to text with my non iMessage friends.
I’m flying Delta IAD-ATL-FLL next week. I’m looking forward to this; another wat to entertaian myself in flight!
Just an FYI – I flew on United today and was able to text the entire flight (I didn’t purchase wifi). Not sure if it was supposed to be that way, but I am wondering if United is offering this too.
This is a good trend. Airlines should extend connectivity for all while keeping speeds decent of course.
I totally agree with other posts that voice calls should not be allowed. It’s annoying enough on elevated NYC subway lines.
I wonder when all airlines will offer this, so much so that it stops being a value added perk?
Not too shabby, it would be really nice if they allowed SMS though…
Texting is fine, but I hope they don’t allow calls eventually. It’s probably certain to happen in the end.
cant wait to try this out! hope it spreads.
thank you Delta!
This is a nice perk. Will be nice to use this on Delta flights.
Great news, I hope other Airlines will follow. With all the cutbacks and no frills its a plus!
I don’t really fly Delta, but I’d love to see this on American and United
Thanks, Delta. Nice little perk!
I love Delta!
I already use the messaging provided through T-Mobile. It definitely helps pass the time and I can catch up with friends or get work done but I completely agree with the above poster – please don’t ever allow voice calls on planes!
Nice, but not enough to cover all the devaluations Delta made.
Still not going to fly DL.
I like the idea that Delta is adding complimentary text messaging to their flights. I will still fly based on price and time.
Texting yes, but please never make in-flight phone calls a thing!
agreed. never want to have to listen to phone calls while on a plan.
Also, texting is generally sufficient if you have to reach someone in an emergency, like if you are being rerouted or there is another problem. If they did add the ability to make voice calls, I can see more flights having emergency landings or other issues due to disagreements between loud, as Ralph Kramden would call them, blabbermouths and people around them.
I would trade free messaging for more availability for frequent flyer award tickets.
Looks like AA is also following suit. Maybe UA will be next?
Free connectivity is always a plus.
Awesome news.
Great news! I’ll use this.
Excellent initiative. Congratulations to Delta for that. Very long flights are boring.
Probably this could never be a bad thing.
I just noticed that American Airlines is also adding free in-flight messaging, too. Hopefully this little perk will spread to all airlines.
Not long before all wifi is free. Like hotels, it becomes a massive competitive disadvantage to try and charge for it.
Not sure about that – airlines have to pay satellite companies for the wi-fi data so until there are a lot more satellites up in the air, or there is some technological advancement – this will still be expensive
For me, this goes under the heading ‘that’s nice’, but it really doesn’t add any tangible value to flying DL, which I now avoid.