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Delta's international in-flight Wi-Fi expansion begins its rollout next month

Gogo and Delta have the necessary approvals to start installing satellite dishes into Delta's fleet of long-haul international jets. Globe-trotters could be connected as soon as March.

Tim Stevens Former editor at large for CNET Cars
Tim Stevens got his start writing professionally while still in school in the mid '90s, and since then has covered topics ranging from business process management to video game development to automotive technology.
Tim Stevens
Gogo

BARCELONA, Spain -- Delta in the United States was one of the first to jump on the Gogo bandwagon and do it hard, quickly rolling out the in-flight internet service more or less across its fleet. But, there was always one big missing piece: international. Flights that crossed an ocean were left out of the connectivity fun, even when they were feet-dry over domestic lands. Back in 2012, Delta announced that it would be adding Gogo's satellite-based international service to its fleet as well, with a planned implementation date of 2013. Now, in 2014, it's finally happening.

We spoke with Gogo's Social Media manager Scott Carmichael, who told us that the rollout to Delta's international fleet would begin in about a month. Carmichael says that the FAA has granted the supplemental type certificates (STCs) required to begin the modifications for the planes, which he calls the "hard part." Drilling the holes in the roofs of the planes? That's considered fairly trivial, an installation process that takes between 3 to 5 days. (The in-flight talk and texting that we covered last year, by the way, is still on-track to roll out this year.)

It will take some time for the installation to be completed across Delta's entire international fleet, but once completed passengers can expect maximum speeds of 30Mbps, which might just be enough to keep you entertained as you whisk your way to a wonderful summertime European vacation. Might we recommend Barcelona?

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