Within a day of announcing a $225,000 increase in the amount of spend required for an MQD waiver to reach Diamond status, Delta has added a new free benefit for everyone: free in-air messaging through iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.
The Deal
- Free messaging with iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger on Delta flights equipped with Gogo Wi-Fi Starting on October 1st
- Link to details
How it works
The process sounds simple. Make sure you have downloaded the require app(s) before your flight as you will only be able to use these apps with the Wi-Fi, you won’t be able to download them. On board, connect to the GoGo Wi-Fi network and go to airborne.gogoinflight.com. Next, you’ll select the free messaging pass as shown in the picture below and then you can message to your heart’s content — those text and emojis only, no picture or video messaging will be allowed.
Bottom line
It’s always nice to see something added for free. I’m kind of surprised to see this as I imagine some people were probably willing to pay for Wi-Fi mostly to be able to trade messages with those on the ground. I guess they are projecting enough revenue from people spending $250,000 a year on Delta credit cards going to cover messaging access for the rest of us (Thanks, Greg! :-). Note that you will not be able to use cellular text-messaging — this will be Wi-Fi based messaging via the above-mentioned apps only (though T-Mobile in-flight texts are available on a number of airlines, and T-Mobile customers get 1 hour of free GoGo Wi-Fi). Overall, this is a net positive and a welcome addition.
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Will we now hear constant and incessant message ring-tones throughout the cabin?
Will we now here constant and incessant message ring-tones throughout the cabin?