While this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, Southwest Airlines is introducing free Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards members in partnership with T-Mobile.
Southwest Introduces Free Wi-Fi Onboard
Southwest Airlines announced today that, in partnership with T-Mobile, it will introduce free Wi-Fi onboard for Rapid Rewards members. The partnership goes into effect on October 24, 2025 and will allow members access to free, unlimited, Wi-Fi onboard.
Tony Roach, Executive Vice President of Chief Customer & Brand Officer at Southwest Airlines, said this about the introduction of free Wi-Fi:
“We are focused on making sure our Customers have a great experience from the time they book a flight to the time they reach their destination. We’re pleased to partner with T-Mobile to bring free WiFi to all Rapid Rewards Members. This is part of our ongoing commitment to elevate the cabin experience, with free WiFi being just one of the many enhancements Customers will see in the months ahead.”
Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and Products at T-Mobile, added:
“We’re teaming up with Southwest to make staying connected in the air easier for millions of travelers. We’re excited for Rapid Rewards Members to experience free in-flight WiFi from takeoff to landing – no strings, no surprises. It’s just one more way we’re helping make travel a little smoother.”
While T-Mobile has worked with many other airlines in the past, this announcement marks the first partnership between the cell provider and the Dallas based carrier. All 800+ Southwest aircraft will offer the free Wi-Fi onboard.
This Doesn’t Come as a Surprise
The introduction of free Wi-Fi fleetwide for Rapid Rewards members doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Over the past few months the carrier has been trialing this offering on select flights and results must have been good enough for them to move forward with the rollout.
This is the latest in a slew of changes for the airline which has seen it introduce assigned and extra legroom seating, overhaul its Rapid Rewards program, and charge for checked bags. This latest development brings the carrier more in line with its competitors as we’ve seen American, Delta, and United work to introduce free Wi-Fi onboard.
While the trade off between free checked bags and free Wi-Fi may not be worth it to some passengers, I’m happy with the change as I typically fly without checked bags. It seems the transformation of Southwest is almost complete but I’m sure they still have a surprise or two in the tank.
Summary
Southwest Airlines is rolling out free Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards members in partnership with T-Mobile. The new offering goes live October 24, 2025 and will be available on over 800 aircraft across the Southwest fleet.
(Images courtesy Southwest)