The days of paying $10, $20 or $30 to use inflight Internet on American Airlines flights may soon be over.
The Fort Worth-based airline has been promising for months to eliminate in-flight internet fees on most flights starting in January.
American Airlines announced that the transition will officially begin on Tuesday.
The move is sure to be welcome news to frequent fliers who have long had to shell out wads of cash to browse on American Airlines planes.
The only request? You’ll need an AAdvantage loyalty account to log in, a move reminiscent of other top airline competitors as in-flight Wi-Fi has become the new go-to initiative for airlines looking to boost customer loyalty.
A “phased” rollout
American Airlines’ transition from paid Wi-Fi to free connectivity won’t happen overnight, but as part of a phased approach, passengers on the vast majority of its aircraft will see free internet access for a short period of time.
Starting this week, the airline will begin rolling out free Wi-Fi on its domestic mainline fleet, such as Boeing 737s and Airbus A320 family jets, and on its two-cabin American Eagle regional jets, aircraft with both first and economy cabins.
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The airline said that by the end of this month, 100% of Wi-Fi on these aircraft will be free.
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American will also offer free Internet service on some new, recently delivered and recently updated Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners, and the company said free satellite service will be available on “nearly all American flights” by early spring.
Paid Wi-Fi will continue to be available on some aircraft
Not all planes will get free Wi-Fi right away.
Some of American Airlines’ large wide-body aircraft, including many Boeing 777s, are equipped with Wi-Fi technology from provider Panasonic.
For now, passengers on these flights will still have to pay to use the service (usually $35 for transatlantic flights between the U.S. and Europe).
However, plans to upgrade the technology appear to be underway, after which connectivity will be free: “We are actively working to provide free Wi-Fi to 100% of our fleet and remain committed to delivering an enhanced customer experience,” a spokesperson told TPG.
Free Wi-Fi on airplanes becomes industry norm
American’s move to free inflight internet follows Delta’s efforts in recent years to update its Wi-Fi technology and make the service free to SkyMiles loyalty members and a growing number of other airlines in the industry.
United Airlines last year began deploying free Starlink technology across its fleet for MileagePlus members, and Alaska Airlines said in August it would do the same for members of its new Atmos rewards program.
Southwest Airlines made the service free to Rapid Rewards members in October, and JetBlue has offered free Wi-Fi on its planes for years.
As I pointed out last year, the days of de facto digital detox via flying are quickly over!
“Free high-speed Wi-Fi is more than just a perk, it’s critical for today’s travelers. That’s why we’re proud to begin rolling out this new service,” American Airlines chief customer officer Heather Garboden said in a statement Tuesday.
As part of its Wi-Fi push, American Airlines has partnered with telecommunications giant AT&T on a sponsorship deal that will help the airline offset revenue it will lose when it stops charging customers for connectivity.
Related: Which airlines offer free Wi-Fi? complete guide
Regional upgrade
Part of American’s Wi-Fi transformation includes major upgrades to its Wi-Fi technology on regional aircraft to support the growing number of customers who are likely to use the service once it becomes free.
As of this week, the airline has completed Wi-Fi upgrades on 73% of its two-cabin American Eagle fleet, a spokesperson confirmed.
From an experience perspective, the online experience is far away The newer technology is better than what you’ve previously found on the airline’s regional jets.
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