Delta tests free WiFi on flights in the U.S.
Watch out, Jet Blue.
The often ridiculed (but actually pretty dang nice) Delta Air Lines announced Thursday that it will start testing free WiFi on domestic flights beginning May 13. This is a boon for consumers, since WiFi on most flights still costs money, with the exception of Jet Blue.
Delta will conduct the test on 55 domestic flights. The test will only last two weeks, and not all flights will get the free connection; Delta will notify passengers beforehand if their flight is part of the trial.
The aim is twofold: to test how well the WiFi actually works, and to get customer feedback. The latter is kind of a no brainer — unless passengers relish their time in the skies as a time to log off, free WiFi sounds pretty nice.
The technical test is where the rubber may hit the road: according to the Wall Street Journal, studies have shown that, compared to paid WiFi on airplanes, in-flight WiFi use ~soars~ when it's free. So providing complimentary WiFi will undoubtedly put a big strain on the system.
Delta customers will be able to do most things on the WiFi, like check emails or read articles. However, perhaps of greatest disappointment to fliers, customers still won't be able to stream video on the free WiFI. Delta has content distribution deals with media companies — which allow it to show movies and TV for free — that it can't let free WiFi cannibalize, after all. There's also the complication that streaming uses up a ton of bandwidth, which could slow the internet to a crawl for everyone.
Jet Blue is the only other airline that offers free WiFi. And while Delta's test is only two weeks long, perhaps it will push other airlines to play catch up.
