American Airlines Playing Catch Up, Will Offer Free Wi-Fi

American Airlines says free Wi-Fi will be offered on its flights starting from January. 2026. The upgrade will be available first to AAdvantage® loyalty program members before being rolled out to all passengers on most flights. Aircraft equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high-speed satellite connectivity accounts for about 90% the fleet, which will be provided with free Wi-Fi in partnership with AT&T.

American is the last of the major U.S.-based carriers to provide the perk, introduced by JetBlue in 2013.

• American will offer the complimentary service to members of its AAdvantage® loyalty program in partnership with AT&T. 
• Inflight connectivity is currently a relative weak spot for American as it’s fallen behind its major rivals.