If Wi-Fi is used 30,000-feet in the air, does it become High-Fi?

Delta Airlines is expected to begin rolling out free Wi-Fi for passengers as soon as early 2023, the WSJ reported yesterday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

And while not independently confirmed as of this writing, the move wouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The airline experimented with offering free in-flight internet in 2019, and Delta CEO Ed Bastian has said for years that he wants in-flight internet to be fast and free, the WSJ reports.

But much like trying to score an open-ice breakaway on the opposing goalie in pond hockey, there are a couple of blockers sitting in the way. A 2021 Intelsat survey indicates the two biggest barriers to increasing passenger inflight Wi-Fi adoption are its high price point and “poor internet connection.”

• Price points: JetBlue is the only airline currently providing free Wi-Fi to all passengers, subsidized by ads. Other airlines offer a variety of pricing models, ranging anywhere from $2 to $50 per flight – or even $500+ for annual passes.
• Speed: Viasat, Delta’s satellite internet service provider, advertises download speeds of around 20 megabits per second on each device. Other in-flight Wi-Fi companies utilize air-to-ground systems, which top out around 10 Mbps per plane – and when shared across devices, offer barely enough bandwidth to check email. (Median US download speeds for mobile and fixed broadband are around 75 Mbps and 189 Mbps, respectively.)

✈️🛜 Zoom out: Like winter in Game of Thrones, more changes to in-flight Wi-Fi are coming. United, American, Southwest, and Alaskan Airlines have all announced a variety of tech and pricing changes this year – plus Hawaiian Airlines announced a deal with Starlink in April to offer free Wi-Fi on flights starting in 2023.