Delta to put Wi-Fi in entire U.S. fleet within a year

Just when I finish writing about airborne wireless news, Delta makes the biggest splash in months. The scoop: Delta is putting Wi-Fi access in all of its 330 "mainline" fleet of planes, becoming the first and only major U.S. airline to make in-flight wireless broadband almost ubiquitous.

Delta will be using Aircell's Gogo service, the same one that American has been experimenting with on a limited basis. Fees will run $9.95 for flights under three hours and $12.95 for longer trips.

Unlike the lengthy, interminable "trial periods" of some airlines, Delta expects the Wi-Fi rollout to go awfully fast. While there's no timeline announced for its first wave (including 133 MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft), Delta says it will have another 200 Boeing jets outfitted with the service before next summer. (That's most of Delta's fleet: By "mainline," I presume Delta means it won't have the service available on short-hop commuter jets and any non-Delta-branded planes it happens to fly.)

Complex? Gogo sounds like it's now a pretty simple affair. In an interesting footnote to its press release, Delta notes that the Aircell equipment can actually be installed overnight, so the planes don't have to be taken out of service.

I feel like we've been waiting for a major U.S. carrier to jump on the Wi-Fi wagon for the bulk of the decade, and with Delta's big move into the market I can't help but hope to see other carriers follow suit. (They all did it when they started charging for a second bag, so why not now?) Could you be Wi-Flying when you jet home for Christmas this year? It just might happen!

Read Delta's entire press release here