The Last Major US Airline To Not Offer Free In-Flight Wi-Fi Has Finally Joined The Trend

If you've ever flown with American Airlines and grumbled at paying $10 or more to access in-flight Wi-Fi, we have some good news. Starting in 2026, American will officially join its competitors by offering free high-speed Wi-Fi on most flights. The only fine print is that you'll need to be signed up for the airline's AAdvantage loyalty program — but membership is free, and you can even join mid-flight if you forgot to do it before boarding.

American Airlines is the last of the "Big Three" U.S. carriers (alongside Delta and United) to jump on the free Wi-Fi bandwagon. With airlines offering free in-flight Wi-Fi becoming the new standard, it only makes sense that legacy carriers like American are stepping up to stay competitive.

Since forming a new customer experience team earlier in 2025, the carrier has rolled out other perks, such as new boarding technology that takes aim at line cutters and streamlines the boarding process. A redesigned mobile app will also be out at the end of May 2025 with new features and an upgraded look. These changes plus the added bonus of free Wi-Fi on most of its fleet are a few of the ways American Airlines is making traveling a whole lot easier for its loyalty program members.

American Airlines' free connection will be partially sponsored by AT&T and will rely on upgraded satellite service through Viasat and Intelsat — both major players in delivering high-speed, reliable connectivity for aircraft. That's good news for travelers tired of the sluggish, spotty service typical of older air-to-ground systems. American already ran beta tests on select routes, and the airline says the service exceeded expectations, setting the bar for a better in-flight experience across its fleet.

American isn't just stopping at free Wi-Fi for its biggest planes, either. The airline plans to add high-speed connectivity to more than 500 regional jets by the end of 2025, meaning most American-operated flights across the U.S. will be covered. The only exception will be some of the older planes that don't have equipment to support it — but American says that will be less than 10% of its entire fleet.

Like other loyalty programs, American's AAdvantage allows passengers to accumulate miles with each trip that can be redeemed later for flights, upgrades, travel discounts, and more. So if you're planning to hop on an American Airlines flight in 2026 or beyond, make sure to sign up for AAdvantage if you need to connect in the sky. Your emails, Instagram posts, and streaming playlists will thank you.