In a stunning change of events, American Airlines has officially announced that it’ll make inflight Wi-Fi connectivity free beginning next year.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is teaming up with AT&T to offer flyers complimentary Wi-Fi on all Viasat- and Intelsat-equipped aircraft. Free Wi-Fi will launch starting in January, with the airline planning to offer the free connectivity exclusively to AAdvantage loyalty program members.

Free Wi-Fi on 90% of American’s jets

American says that free Wi-Fi will be available on jets that offer high-speed internet service, which accounts for roughly 90% of the airline’s fleet.

The airline’s two-cabin regional jets are currently undergoing a retrofit process to install better satellite connectivity from Intelsat. The airline has more than 100 regional jets already reconfigured, and it’s on pace to outfit just over 500 regional aircraft with this upgraded service by the end of 2025.

Perhaps the most notable exception will be the airline’s long-haul fleet, much of which is equipped with Panasonic internet satellites that don’t have enough bandwidth to enable free Wi-Fi for everyone. These planes will maintain a paid internet option. (New wide-body aircraft deliveries are expected to be equipped with Viasat going forward.)

Trials of free connectivity were successful

American’s announcement of free Wi-Fi comes just weeks after the airline launched a limited-time complimentary Wi-Fi test on three select routes, allowing the airline to assess the strength of its network and whether it can support a broader free Wi-Fi rollout. The airline says that the test “surpassed performance expectations.”

That outcome isn’t necessarily surprising given that Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airlines already offer free fleetwide Wi-Fi across all their jets equipped with Viasat satellites.

But at least American Airlines is finally getting with the times and making Wi-Fi free — a stunning reversal for the Fort Worth-based carrier, which has consistently charged the most of any major U.S. carrier for internet connectivity even as an increasing number of U.S. airlines made inflight Wi-Fi free.

American’s shift to free connectivity comes just weeks after the carrier announced that it would appoint a chief customer officer to renew its focus on the customer experience.

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“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,” Heather Garboden, American’s new chief customer officer, in a statement Tuesday.

A longtime free wi-fi holdout

American has long been a major holdout on the free (or discounted) Wi-Fi bandwagon. Despite having most of its fleet outfitted with streaming-capable Wi-Fi, the carrier has been the stingiest when it comes to connectivity.

Flight passes routinely go for upward of $20, and the airline’s pricing scheme that allows you to redeem miles for a pass is rarely a good deal. (As always, you’ll want to compare the redemption rate against TPG’s valuation of 1.65 cents per AAdvantage mile.)

Just last week, I paid $24 for a full-flight pass on American from Atlanta to Philadelphia. With Delta or JetBlue, connectivity would’ve been free. With Alaska, Southwest or United, I would’ve needed to pay $8. But with American, it was a whopping $24 for a 90-minute flight.

In fairness, American has trialed and then introduced time-limited, ad-sponsored Wi-Fi passes, though that connectivity has historically been limited to 15 or 20 minutes of browsing. In fact, back in 2017, American promised free messaging would be coming “soon” — but that day never materialized.

Now, nearly a decade later, the airline will just make Wi-Fi free for all of its loyalty members.

Inflight surfing: American debuts new Wi-Fi redemptions but stops short of making it free

Back in 2017, Delta Air Lines became the first of the “Big Three” U.S. airlines — American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — to offer free messaging to all travelers. This allowed flyers to connect to the internet to use apps such as iMessage and WhatsApp without paying for a full Wi-Fi pass.

American announced the next day that it would match Delta’s move “soon” without providing a concrete timeline.

Even Southwest Airlines and United, which have much of their fleets outfitted with slower and less reliable Wi-Fi than American’s fleet, now offer free messaging.

Playing ‘catch-up’

While American will soon make Wi-Fi free, it’s playing a game of catch-up. JetBlue has long offered free internet access on board, and Delta is now doing it, too. Alaska Airlines, Southwest and United all currently offer $8 Wi-Fi passes on many flights, and United will soon even make its connectivity free once it rolls out Starlink Wi-Fi.

Even though American has officially decided to offer free Wi-Fi, it still won’t offer seatback screens across its domestic fleet. So, don’t forget to bring your own entertainment device when flying with American.

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