Delta Expanding WiFi Access To International Flights Starting Next Year

Delta Airlines will be expanding WiFi access to more than 150 international aircraft including Boeing 777, 767, 747, Airbus 330 and transoceanic Boeing 757 starting at the beginning of 2013. Existing air-to-ground service has been conveniently available on domestic flights within the US, but international access has always been constrained by this ground-based technology normally used by airlines.

To make WiFi access possible while flying over large bodies of water, service provider Gogo will be working with high-bandwith Ku-band capacity satellites for the first time ever on any airline. Once completed in 2015, it's expected that Delta will be operating about 1,000 WiFi-enabled aircraft internationally.

There's nothing quite like sending a tweet or snapping an Instagram photo when you're high above the middle of the Atlantic ocean, and even though the technology will be more expensive, Delta and Gogo are well aware that customers are keen on staying connected all the time. The airline currently serves over 160 million customers annually and all Delta Connection two-class regional jets offer over 400,000 passengers WiFi access on a daily basis.

[via Engadget]