American Airlines to make Wi-Fi free on most of its fleet in 2026

American Airlines plans to offer Wi-Fi for free starting in January as more carriers opt for complimentary internet service for their loyalty program members, increasing pressure on holdouts.

The free Wi-Fi will be sponsored by AT&T and is available for members of American Airlines’ AAdvantage loyalty program, the airline said Tuesday.

JetBlue Airways has offered complimentary inflight internet for years and Delta Air Lines started offering the free service to its SkyMiles loyalty program members in 2023.

United Airlines is in the process of outfitting its fleet with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi, which will be free for members of its loyalty program, MileagePlus.

American Airlines’ inflight Wi-Fi routinely tops $20 per flight. The carrier said that starting in January, the free service will be available on its planes outfitted with Intelsat and Viasat satellite Wi-Fi, which will account for about 90% of its fleet by next year. Some of American’s older Boeing wide-bodies won’t have the service for free but will still have Wi-Fi available.

American Airlines had been testing the service on certain routes. It is also planning to install high-speed internet service on 500 regional planes by the end of next year, the airline said.

Southwest Airlines, one of the outliers in the industry, has not said whether it is considering free Wi-Fi on board.