Delta Air Lines taps Amazon Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi as streaming wars heat up

Delta Airlines touched Amazon Leo will provide high-speed internet service on hundreds of jets starting in 2028; This is the latest salvo in airlines’ in-flight Wi-Fi and streaming wars.

Amazon Leo, which stands for short Earth orbit, offers satellite Wi-Fi, which Delta says will initially be available on 500 of its aircraft. Delta will start with domestic-focused, narrow-body aircraft Boeing’s And Airbus. The airline also owns Hughes and viasat For inflight Wi-Fi.

“People want higher speeds, they want more bandwidth, they want to share all their videos and photos from their trips. Expectations are increasing day by day,” Delta Chief Marketing and Product Officer Ranjan Goswami said in an interview.

Airlines are pushing for faster in-flight Wi-Fi and making the service free for loyalty program members in an effort to win over travelers and, in some cases, monetize a captive audience of millions with personalized ads and potential purchases.

Goswami said “clearly merchandising opportunities” will emerge as Delta revamps its inflight technology to update movie selections and other entertainment options more quickly and offer larger libraries. Delta has about 165,000 seatback screens in its fleet, he said.

Goswami said the first batch of aircraft to offer faster service will include Delta’s newly ordered aircraft. Boeing’s The 737 Max 10 aircraft, as well as some older 737s and Airbus A321s, are used mostly on domestic routes.

Chris Weber, vice president of Amazon Leo, said the faster speeds come from its satellites orbiting closer to Earth than others.

“I think of high-speed, reliable connectivity as the foundation for aircraft, and Delta will build very unique experiences on top of that,” Weber said.

Amazon said Leo is focused on building satellite constellations and has about 200 satellites in orbit, with hundreds more being built for launch.

The company aims to build a constellation of approximately 3,200 low-Earth orbit satellites that will serve businesses, governments and consumers. Amazon launched an enterprise preview of Leo for select businesses last year, while it is working toward broader commercial use.

American Airlines It is considering bringing back seat-back displays to its narrow-body fleet, CNBC reported last week, and will use SpaceX’s Starlink or Amazon Leo with Amazon Prime content. A decision could come as early as next month.

United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines recently began using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi onboard.

— CNBC’s Annie Palmer contributed to this report.