Viasat, a global communications company, on March 14, announced its in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution would be installed on more than 1,000 Delta Air Lines Aircraft. Delta customers should look forward to an enhanced passenger experience with free and faster WiFi.

Viasat released a statement confirming that Delta has selected Viasat IFC services for its widebody fleets, including all operational aircraft in its Airbus A330, A350, and Boeing 767 fleets. In addition to the mentioned mainline fleets, the Airbus A220 and upcoming deliveries on the Boeing 737 MAX will be outfitted and serviced by Viasat.

Viasat's satellite network

Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. The service provider is delighted to support Delta's mission of providing connectivity to its customers. Viasat Vice President and General Manager, Commercial Aviation Don Buchman said in a statement;

“We are honored to continue expanding as the technology provider supporting Delta’s mission to offer fast, free Wi-Fi as part of its evolved customer experience. The speed and scale at which we have reached this milestone together, now with more than 1,000 aircraft planned has been astounding and is a tribute to our collaboration.”

Delta's Viasat-equipped aircraft are being outfitted with Viasat's latest Ka-band IFC system and are designed to be compatible with the company's complete network of satellites, including the Viasat-3 constellation. This is a group of global satellites consisting of three high-capacity Ka-band satellites, with the first one scheduled to launch in April.

The three satellites are expected to have more than 1 Terabit per second (Tbps) of throughput capacity, making them the highest-capacity broadband satellites ever launched. The Viasat-3 constellation is designed to solve connectivity challenges in aviation by providing high-quality solutions.

Faster connectivity for Delta passengers

The Atlanta-based carrier began offering fast, free WiFI to all Delta SkyMiles members onboard most domestic mainline flights on February 1, with full availability on international and regional aircraft by the end of 2024. Delta installed fast-streaming satellite connectivity on the first Airbus A321neo in early 2021.

Since then, teams led by Delta TechOps have outfitted more than 540 domestic mainline aircraft with WiFi similar to what customers use at home. Since the February launch, over 100,000 customers have signed up for SkyMiles, with well over 2 million free WiFi sessions onboard.

Viasat plans to solve significant challenges to providing high-quality connectivity in aviation by combining throughput capacity with the ability to use that capacity to meet demand where it is the highest and most concentrated.

Through this, Viasat and Delta can provide consistently high quality, high speed, and content-rich in-flight WiFi experience even during high demand. This is critical to Delta's vision for a more personalized travel experience for its customers.

According to Delta Air Lines, passengers who would like to know if WiFi is available on their flights can identify WiFi-ready aircraft when making bookings on the website. This can be done by noting the "fast-streaming WiFi" indicator on flight search results. The same indicator can be found near the boarding door.