American Airlines announced Tuesday that it will bring free high-speed Wi-Fi to its fleet starting in 2026.
The complimentary Wi-Fi, offered in partnership with AT&T, will be available on planes equipped with high-speed satellite connectivity via either Intelsat or Viasat, which constitutes about 90 percent of the carrier’s fleet.
The airline is in the process of adding high-speed Wi-Fi capabilities to its regional jets (the smaller planes, like the Embraer E175 or Bombardier CRJ-900, that operate shorter routes usually between large hubs and smaller cities) and will have more than 500 jets equipped by the end of 2025, the vast majority of its American Eagle fleet. American says it will have more planes with free high-speed Wi-Fi than any other domestic airline when it makes the free service available starting in January 2026, ultimately servicing more than 2 million flights a year.
“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, who was appointed in February as American’s chief customer officer, said in a statement.
The larger rollout comes after American tested free Wi-Fi on a limited number of flights in 2022. The test “surpassed performance expectations,” the airline said.
There is a small catch: Passengers must sign up for American’s AAdvantage loyalty program to access the Wi-Fi for free. Also, American will not offer free Wi-Fi on jets that don’t have the right equipment, like some of its older wide-body planes.
A Wi-Fi revolution in the sky
American is the last of the major U.S. airlines to announce a large-scale free Wi-Fi offering, which has quickly become table stakes in the airline industry as passengers value staying connected while in the air more than ever.
Of the “big three” U.S. airlines—American, Delta, and United—Delta moved first, when it announced free Wi-Fi for its mainline domestic fleet starting in February 2023. By the end of 2024, the airline reported that more than 700 of its planes had been equipped to provide free internet access, with service on long-haul transatlantic international routes kicking off this month and on flights to South America coming later this spring. Like American, Delta’s Wi-Fi is free only for members of the airline’s SkyMiles loyalty program.
In September, United announced its intention to install free high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet. It plans to install the service on its regional planes by the end of the year, and on its mainline fleet after that. Eventually, United plans to outfit its entire fleet with Starlink. United, too, is making the free Wi-Fi available only for its MileagePlus members.
Hawaiian Airlines also has a free Wi-Fi program in collaboration with Starlink on its Airbus A330 and A321neo planes. The very first airline to offer fast, free Wi-Fi was JetBlue, starting in 2013, and the airline currently offers the service on every single aircraft in its fleet. With American’s announcement, that leaves Southwest as the largest U.S. airline that has not unveiled a plan to equip its planes with free high-speed Wi-Fi.
American’s new offer of free high-speed Wi-Fi is extra sweet because the airline has been charging the most to stay connected—and the reliability of its connectivity has been inconsistent at best. The carrier does not have any plans to outfit the seats on the majority of its planes with seatback screens for entertainment, which means American is betting that fliers’ phones, tablets, or laptops will be all the entertainment they will need for most flights, once access to free and fast internet connectivity is available. However, complementary Wi-Fi could be just the first of a series of passenger-friendly changes at the airline, which in February formed a new customer experience team headed by Garboden.
For now, the race is on to see which major airline will offer the best and fastest connection in the air, which is great news for passengers who like to—or need to—stay connected while flying (and maybe bittersweet news for those who appreciate the opportunity to disconnect during flights or prefer a seatback screen preloaded with entertainment options).
