Delta Air Lines’ highly controversial decision regarding inflight internet has become a hot topic with United and American. But the importance of connectivity is accelerating.
Bastian Strikes A Chord
A few months ago, as Starlink was signing some of its (now) 48 airline partners up for fast wifi – almost universally offering free wi-fi to travelers – Delta CEO, Ed Bastian, was one of just two to sign up to Amazon’s competing Leo service. While JetBlue, the other Amazon partner, is slated to start sometime in 2027, Delta won’t have installation underway until 2028.
Matthew wrote this week about Bastian’s comments confirming that it wasn’t as much about the product as it was that Delta (or Bastian himself) didn’t want to go into business with Elon Musk. Maybe it’s Musk’s personality, maybe it’s his politics, but suffice it to say that Bastian didn’t seem to choose Amazon because the product is better (it’s unlikely to be) or because one of the principles of Starlink is that there’s no onerous sign-in process as was initially suggested.
What Bastian may have thought would be a rallying cry for likeminded customers or staff, also highlights that 1) Bastian doesn’t think clients care enough about inflight connectivity to make purchase decisions based on it, and/or 2) he believes he has such as substantial fortress that even if clients wanted to leave, they wouldn’t be able to.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
