The next time they fly with the airline, premium members of Delta Air Lines might receive a holiday gift.
This is because a new free Wi-Fi service for Medallion members is being tested by the Atlanta-based airline on a few certain aircraft.
Elite travelers can now check the Deltawifi.com site to determine if their flight offers free internet access.
If it does, all you have to do is input your SkyMiles number and password to connect to the internet; no day passes or monthly memberships are necessary.
This new service, which debuted earlier this week, is a part of a larger experiment to see how well Delta's Wi-Fi networks can manage increased traffic.
Despite declining to provide more information on the service or what it might portend for the future of fleet-wide free Wi-Fi, a Delta spokeswoman confirmed that the test had begun (something Delta teased back in early 2019).
This complimentary Wi-Fi option for elite members currently only appears to be available on aircraft equipped with the airline's new, faster Viasat satellite-based connectivity, which is anticipated to be installed on the vast majority of the mainline fleet by the end of the year.
Numerous Airbus A321s, Boeing 737-900ERs, and Boeing 757-200s have updated satellite connectivity so far.
While elite members flying on one of these planes may enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi, non-Delta supporters must pay a fixed $5 cost per device, regardless of the length of the flight, to use the network.
As more passengers connect to onboard access points during the trip, this most recent test appears to be intended to assist Delta gather information on usage trends and network resilience.
"Make Wi-Fi free with high-speed quality," declared Delta CEO Ed Bastian in the early months of 2019.
Putting epidemic delays aside, it appears like the airline is finally stepping up its efforts to keep its promise.
According to an internal Delta letter, the airline announced intentions to bring out free Wi-Fi on all domestic flights "soon," with an expansion to international lines anticipated by the end of 2024.
At the time, Ekrem Dimbiloglu, managing director of brand experience for Delta, said in a statement that these testing represent an additional step toward bringing Bastian's dream of free onboard Wi-Fi to life.
While delivering fast, dependable, and free Wi-Fi onboard is something we are substantially closer to doing, Dimbiloglu added, "it's crucial we use our innovation DNA to test, learn, and grow intelligently to give the outstanding experience our customers expect from Delta."
While JetBlue Airways continues to dominate the market for onboard connectivity, Delta is coming closer to rolling out free Wi-Fi for all customers.
The New York-based carrier is renowned for providing unrestricted free gate-to-gate Wi-Fi for years.
Although none of Delta's rivals has publicly committed to making Wi-Fi free, they have all recently been hard at work enhancing their in-flight connectivity options.
Recently, American Airlines began (and then extended) a free internet trial on board its Viasat-equipped aircraft, while Alaska Airlines and United Airlines unveiled $8 flat-fee Wi-Fi pricing.
In the meantime, Southwest Airlines recently disclosed that it is expanding its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft to include Viasat as well as upgrading its current Anuvu internet provider.
Even the low-cost airline Spirit recently announced that the Wi-Fi rollout was complete.
But in sharp contrast to Delta and JetBlue, it is now imposing higher fees for in-flight internet access than it did during the experimental phase.
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