Texting While Flying Will Soon Be a Thing, as Delta Introduces Free In-flight Messaging

Wi-Fi rarely comes cheap for airline passengers. But Delta Air Lines is about to offer one form of connection at no charge: text messages.The airline said on Wednesday that it would offer free mobile messaging on flights beginning Sunday.The service is "part of a larger strategy around entertainment and giving our customers something they've been asking for," said Dan Csont, vice president of brand management at Delta.Other airlines are expected to try to match the offer, but Delta could have an advantage, one aviation analyst said, because it has been investing heavily in equipment to help bolster its connectivity."There will undoubtedly be attempts by other carriers to try to match this, but it comes down to whether they have the hardware to do it," said Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann & Co., an airline consulting firm.  Continue reading...