In This Article:
Kevin Carter / Getty Images
Key Takeaways
-
American Airlines on Tuesday announced that it will launch free Wi-Fi for its rewards members in January 2026.
-
The company is partnering with AT&T, and said the service will be available on about 90% of its fleet by the rollout.
-
Delta already has free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights for loyalty members and United is in the process of rolling out free Starlink satellite internet.
American Airlines (AAL) said Tuesday that it will introduce free Wi-Fi on flights for its "AAdvantage" rewards members starting in January 2026.
The airline is partnering with AT&T (T) to introduce the service, which it says will be available "on all aircraft equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high-speed satellite connectivity, accounting for roughly 90% of its fleet." American said it recently conducted a test on select flight routes, which surpassed its own expectations.
Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said the company has been "working diligently to outfit our aircraft" with the necessary technology.
Delta Already Has Free Wi-Fi; United Rolling Out Free Starlink Satellite Internet
Last month, rival United Airlines (UAL)—which is set to report its latest quarterly earnings after the bell Tuesday—won government approval to launch its first commercial flight with free Starlink satellite internet service in May. United had signed a deal with Starlink, a division of Elon Musk's SpaceX, last September to bring satellite internet to its more than 1,000 planes over the next several years.
Delta Air Lines (DAL), which already has free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights for loyalty members, announced earlier this month that it would be expanding its service to Europe, Israel and West Africa through its partnership with T-Mobile (TMUS).
American Airlines shares were up 3% in Tuesday morning trading but are still down nearly 40% year-to-date.
Read the original article on Investopedia