Delta to begin offering in-flight Internet on long-haul fleet

The expanded Wi-Fi service will use satellites to provide coverage internationally and will complement the existing air-to-ground service already provided by Gogo for aircraft flying within the domestic US, the airline said in a statement here.

Delta already operates the world's largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet of aircraft with more than 3,000 flights daily, including its entire fleet of 550 domestic mainline aircraft.

More than 800 Delta aircraft, including all Delta Connection two-class regional jets, are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi service offering more than 400,000 customers per day access to the Internet above 10,000 feet.

The international service will use high-bandwidth Ku-band capacity satellites to provide global coverage. When complete in 2015, Delta will operate approximately 1,000 Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft in its worldwide fleet that includes Boeing 777, 767, 747, Airbus 330 and transoceanic Boeing 757 aircraft.

"Delta's advancements in technology have been a key component to our improvements in the customer travel experience and have been cited by J D Power and Associates and PC World magazine as important aspects of travel," said Tim Mapes, Delta's senior vice president