American Airlines is teaming up with telecoms giant AT&T to offer free onboard wifi for members of its AAdvantage loyalty programme.
The US carrier said that from January 2026 it would offer free wifi on all aircraft equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high-speed satellite systems, which will account for around 90 per cent of American’s fleet.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told BTN Europe that this would include the “vast majority of domestic and short-haul international flights operated by our narrow-body and dual-class regional aircraft”.
“American will also have complimentary wifi available on some transatlantic flights operated by our newer Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and retrofitted 777-300ER aircraft,” added the spokesperson.
Heather Garboden, chief customer officer at American Airlines, said: “We’ve been working diligently to outfit our aircraft with best-in-class high-speed wifi and together with AT&T are proud to offer those services at no cost to our most loyal customers.”
American said it had conducted free wifi tests on some routes to “gauge the strength of its service”, adding that it was “on pace” to fit the system on more than 500 regional aircraft by the end of this year.
The airline appointed Garboden two months ago as part of its “renewed focus on the customer experience”.
“This was a natural partnership in every aspect: two iconic Texas-based brands, known for innovation and connection,” she added.
Other US-based airlines have also been stepping up their onboard wifi services for members of their loyalty schemes, including United Airlines through a partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network. While Delta extended its free wifi service to flights between Europe and US last summer.