Texts on a plane.
Texts on a plane.
Delta Airlines is allowing passengers to text during flights for free, the company announced on Tuesday. Starting Oct. 1, customers can use iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger to stay connected with their friends on the ground.
Delta would be the first U. S. global carrier to offer such a service on planes with two or more cabins. The company said in a press release that the move was to enhance the customer experience, allowing passengers to update their friends and relatives of early or delayed flights.
“We know many of Delta’s customers want or need to stay connected in the air and on the ground, which is why we’re investing in an easy, free way to send and receive messages inflight,” said Tim Mapes, Delta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
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The ability to text will be included on all planes that use GoGo Inflight Internet, which allows passengers to pay for WiFi connectivity. In order to text using the specified apps, passengers can go to use the same WiFi portal at airborne.gogoinflight.com.
However, unlike iPhone users — who can communicate through their native messaging app, iMessage, with other iPhones — Android users will have to use WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to text as standard SMS messages will still not be available because it requires cellular networks.
The feature will also limit what kinds of messages the three apps can send: text only, no pictures or video, so mile-high video sexting is a no-go.
But don’t think this means calls will be on the horizon anytime soon. In fact, Delta CEO Ed Bastian told “ CBS This Morning ” on Wednesday calls would be allowed “never in my lifetime.”
