American Airlines to Test Complimentary Inflight Wi-Fi on Three Routes
Could fleet- and network-wide free Wi-Fi be in American’s future?
Photo: Books Beans and Beads / Shutterstock.com
American Airlines will soon test complimentary inflight Wi-Fi on three domestic routes.
Starting this week, the airline will offer free Wi-Fi on flights between Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU); Charlotte and Jacksonville International Airport (JAX); and Miami International Airport (MIA) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
American’s Wi-Fi charges start at about $10, depending on the route and aircraft. The airline also offers monthly passes starting at $49.95 for one device and annual passes starting at $599 for one device.
The move, long anticipated for American, signals that fleet- and network-wide free Wi-Fi—something Delta already offers and United will begin offering this year—could be in the airline’s future. However, American has not yet announced a formal plan to do so.
The plan, according to a memo to staff seen by TMR, is to see how the offering impacts American’s customer satisfaction.
The airline had a rocky 2024 as it tried to get back into the good graces of travel agencies after its failed AAdvantage move. It has since made a few moves that it hopes will boost its profile among travelers, including a new policy during boarding that is aimed at stopping gate jumpers at boarding. It also is committing to an earlier boarding time that it hopes will make things smoother at boarding.
Last year also included the dissolution of its Northeast Alliance with JetBlue, a highly profitable partnership for American that was cut down because of anti-trust.
