Many travelers have grown used to paying extra for nearly everything on a flight, all while flights keep getting more and more expensive. In the midst of what airlines call “unbundling,” which is really just making passengers pay extra for things that used to be included in the ticket price, airlines have even gotten flack from the government. Although a bipartisan group has worked to tackle the issue, not much has changed on the consumer side. But there’s one glimmer of hope: American Airlines is giving something back — complimentary inflight Wi-Fi.
American Airlines has been making changes on a few fronts. For example, in 2024, it introduced non-fee penalties to deter gate lice, people who crowd the gate before boarding. In April of 2025, the airline announced that it will offer a free, high-speed Wi-Fi connection starting in January 2026, sponsored by AT&T. “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,” said Heather Garboden, the airline’s Chief Customer Officer, in a statement.
Now, fliers will be able to stream movies, answer emails, or just keep loved ones in the loop without having to worry about an add-on fee or a connection time limit. To be fair, American Airlines is by no means the first carrier to roll out free Wi-Fi. Delta made Wi-Fi free for all in 2023, and United Airlines announced in 2024 that it would gradually implement free Wi-Fi connections. But American Airlines following the lead is kind of a big deal — it has the biggest airline fleet in the world, after all, with some estimates stating that the carrier has over 1,000 more average flights per day than Delta, its closest competitor.
The terms behind American Airlines’ free Wi-Fi (and one slight catch)
According to the American Airlines statement, the Wi-Fi connectivity will rely on Viasat and Intelsat’s high-speed satellite network. The airline expects to roll it out to cover over two million flights each year, meaning there’s a high chance you’ll get the service. Up until the new change, inflight Wi-Fi costs $10 per route for those flying with the carrier, except for eligible T-Mobile customers, who’ve already had the benefit of complimentary Wi-Fi.
However, there is one condition for future passengers to take advantage of the new complimentary service: You will need to be a member of the AAdvantage loyalty program. Luckily, though, AAdvantage is free to join. It just means that you’ll have to sign up before boarding (and endure the usual influx of marketing emails). It might be worth enrolling in, not just for the free Wi-Fi, but also because logging your miles with an airline program is one of the easiest ways to save on flights. With AAdvantage, each mile correlates to one loyalty point, which you can redeem on flights with American Airlines or one of its partner airlines.
