Hello to all our friends following the Delta blog!
Hope your week is going well and that some of you have had a chance to experience our in-flight Internet service. Here’s the latest on our Wi-Fi installs…
Aircraft 985 completed Wi-Fi installation Wednesday night during a 12-hour overnight installation while aircraft 954 and 979 were inducted today (Thursday), also for a 12-hour overnight installation.
There are now 77 Wi-Fi equipped planes in the Delta fleet which is nearly 25% of our domestic fleet…
MD88 – 71 aircraft
MD90 – 1 aircraft
B757-200 – 5 aircraft
New A/C Tail Numbers in Bold:
MD88 Tail Numbers : 904-905, 907-921, 923-929, 931-933, 935, 937-939, 941, 943-948, 950, 952, 957, 959, 965, 969, 970, 974-975, 982-983, 985, 993, 994, 9000, 9001-9002, 9004, 9006-9020.
MD90 Tail Numbers : 9211.
B757-200 Tail Numbers : 617, 640, 690-692.
Chris B.
Product Manager – IFE
March 27th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Hey Chris,
What’s the reasoning behind the priority you’ve assigned the MD8s? I’m curious simply because it seems like you could’ve gotten the biggest bang-per-buck by starting on the 737s. What airplanes are next? Can I expect something to keep me entertained on the new DL17 LAX->SYD on a 777?
Also, on an unrelated note: When I ride up front on 737s and 757s, I notice an ethernet port in the console that, when plugged into, doesn’t seem to be hot. Was there ever a use for this? I assume the Wi-Fi rollout will deem it totally unnecessary…
March 28th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I was in a Delta terminal yesterday and saw the gogoinflight network appear in my list of available WiFi networks. As I understand it, this network is only supposed to be available at 10,000 feet and above. I was very near a plane separated only by glass, which easily passes WiFi signals. Could this have been coming from the plane? From a club lounge? Or, was it a phishing attempt by a bad guy? Thanks.
March 29th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Err, let me correct my post above. I meant start w/ 757s.
March 29th, 2009 at 10:28 am
How many 757 Transcontinentals should be completed by July 2009?
March 29th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I don’t see the 757s numbers changing. Has there been a hold put on these a/c?
March 29th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Flying accross the country every week (NYC to PHX) I have been waiting for that service forever. For me it makes sense to pay considering how many hours I am in the air on Mondays and Fridays. Unfortunately, so far, I only saw the service on flights like the shuttle between LGA and BOS. Why would I pay for barely 25/30 minutes of service? It does not make sense! I am not sure what prompted to install that service on MadDogs first … but it is frustrating not to have more 737/757 ready since they operate 90% of the East-West routes.
March 29th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
data8504: This is just a guess, but I believe they are doing the 88s first because they are they only ones without any sort of IFE at all. No movies, no music, nothing. So after the 88s are done everything will have at least some form of IFE. The 737s and domestic 757s are coming, we can be sure of that.
On the 777s, you’ve got PTVs in every seat with Audio and Video on Demand. I’m sure you’ll find something to keep you entertained.
mikeh3: This is also a guess, but I think you were able to connect to the airplane’s router, just as if you were in the air. But the router probably didn’t have a connection to the internet. It’s the same thing as when you’re digital cable is out but not your electric. You can still connect to your router, but the connection ends there.
March 29th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
data8504: I’m pretty sure the MD-88’s are getting it first because they are the only Delta (not NW) mainline jets that have no form of IFE (other than the Sky Magazine). You most likely won’t have it on your LAX-SYD flight, as the Aircell system connects to cell towers on the ground; your flight will be mostly over-water.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Is Delta offering or planning to offer this service for free (or at a discounted rate) to Medallion level flyers or first class passengers? Seems like it would be a nice perk but not sure how it would be executed. Perhaps an a card with an access code that could be passed out to first class but now sure how’d you’d do this effectively for medallions in coach. Maybe an e-mail out to medallion level flyers with the opportunity to create an account that gives unlimited free access for the calendar year? I’m sure there is a way to do this.
Also, is the cost of service on a per segment basis or does it get you 24 hours of access like a T-mobile hot spot kind of deal?
April 4th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I was just on the “pink plane,” (DL1888, PBI-ATL), DL’s 757 painted in the pink livery as part of DL’s association with the BRCF. The aircraft had fliers promoting the GoGo product. That got my hopes up. It turns out the a/c was not equipped w/GoGo. Why promote the service on a plane where it’s not available?
April 5th, 2009 at 4:21 am
anyone know when NW metal will begin getting equipped?
May 4th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Flying on an MD-88 as I write this and the service has been great! I can’t wait until the WiFi is on all the planes. Hopefully we’ll see more MD-90’s soon.