An American Airlines plane on the runway at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 25, 2024.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
American Airlines plans to supply Wi-Fi at no cost starting in January as more carriers go for complimentary web service for his or her loyalty program members, increasing pressure on holdouts.
The free Wi-Fi might be sponsored by AT&T and is out there for members of American Airlines’ AAdvantage loyalty program, the airline said Tuesday.
American Airlines’ inflight Wi-Fi routinely tops $20 per flight. The carrier said that starting in January, the free service might be available on its planes outfitted with Intelsat and Viasat satellite Wi-Fi, which is able to account for about 90% of its fleet by next yr. A few of American’s older Boeing wide-bodies won’t have the service at no cost but will still have Wi-Fi available.
American Airlines had been testing the service on certain routes. It is usually planning to put in high-speed web service on 500 regional planes by the top of next yr, the airline said.
Southwest Airlines, one among the outliers within the industry, has not said whether it’s considering free Wi-Fi on board.
