Delta will offer free in-flight messaging

(CBS News) -- Delta CEO Ed Bastian announced on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday that his company will offer a free in-flight messaging service starting this weekend. It allows passengers to use iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger on Wi-Fi-enabled planes without paying for in-flight internet. 

"Starting this weekend, any flight you're on on Delta, anywhere in the world you'll have the ability to text for free," Bastian said. "We want our customers while they're flying to stay connected to their homes, to their friends." 

Airlines are focusing on what they can do to make flying easier as air travel becomes increasingly difficult for passengers. One consumer survey says Delta Air Lines is ranked second in the United States among traditional carriers. The Atlanta-based airline flies to 334 destinations in 62 countries.

Delta offers more than 15,000 flights every day and carries more than 180 million passengers a year. Bastian joined Delta in 1998 and took over as chief executive officer in May last year.