American Airlines will offer fast, free Wi-Fi across nearly all its fleet, the Dallas-based carrier announced on Tuesday morning, finally matching Delta and United in offering passengers free inflight connectivity.
The airline said free Wi-Fi will roll out starting in January 2026, eventually offered on more than 90% of its fleet. American specifically said it's outfitting even its regional jets with free Wi-Fi, but the airline did not specify whether widebody jets flying long-haul international would feature complimentary connectivity.
Much like Delta and United reserve complimentary Wi-Fi for members of their frequent flyer program, travelers will be required to sign in with an American AAdvantage account in order to get online for free. American is “partnering” with AT&T for its free Wi-Fi, but that seems to be just an advertising deal.
“Our customers greatly value staying connected while in the air, whether communicating with friends, getting work done, checking in on social media or streaming their favorite subscription services,” Heather Garboden, American's chief customer officers, said in a statement. “We’ve been working diligently to outfit our aircraft with best-in-class high-speed Wi-Fi and together with AT&T are proud to offer those services at no cost to our most loyal customers.”
While American flyers will no doubt love getting online for free rather than paying up to $20 or more per flight, American is late to the free Wi-Fi game.
After years of promising free Wi-Fi was on the way, Delta became the first of the “Big Four” U.S. carriers to let flyers get online for free in early 2023. United partnered up with Starlink for its own free connectivity, which is expected to begin rolling out this spring. And of course there's JetBlue, which beat them all to the punch by offering free gate-to-gate Wi-Fi for more than a decade.
American has hinted that free Wi-Fi was on the way to its fleet, including some incredibly limited testing last year. But as airlines compete for customers who are accustomed to getting online for free anywhere, airlines big and small are increasingly focusing on improving inflight connectivity.
This is a developing news story, check back for details.
