American Airlines passengers rejoice! The Fort Worth based carrier will finally offer free Wi-Fi for its American Airlines AAdvantage Members beginning in January 2026. American will partner with Dallas based AT&T for the new service. American will join Delta and United in offering free Wi-Fi to its loyalty program customers.
Free Wi-Fi will be available on all aircraft equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high-speed satellite connectivity. This accounts for roughly 90% of the carriers fleet. According to the press release, American will offer free inflight connectivity on more planes than any other domestic carrier.
Heather Garboden, Chief Customer Officer at American Airlines, said this about the rollout:
“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. We’ve been working diligently to outfit our aircraft with best-in-class high-speed Wi-Fi and together with AT&T are proud to offer those services at no cost to our most loyal customers.”
This announcement comes two months after American announced Garboden’s appointment as Chief Customer Officer. American has been attempting to shift towards more premium offerings and this is another step in that transformation.
To prepare for the rollout in January 2026, American Airlines is working with its regional partners to equip more than 500 regional jets with high-speed Wi-Fi by the end of the year.
This announcement is long overdue as American has trailed behind United and Delta among domestic carriers when it comes to free Wi-Fi. As someone who often works on planes, this is awesome news, though we’ll have to wait until next year for this to go live.
Summary
American Airlines will roll out free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage loyalty program members beginning in January 2026. The Fort Worth based carrier is partnering with Dallas based AT&T on the rollout which is expected to cover more than 90% of American’s fleet. American is working to outfit more than 500 American Eagle aircraft with high-speed Wi-Fi prior to launch.
