On Thursday, Southwest Airlines became the latest US carrier to announce that it will bring free high speed Wi-Fi to the skies from October 24th. Southwest was the last holdout among the major US airlines on the free connection front.
The airline partners with network provider T-Mobile to provide in-flight Wi-Fi to all Southwest Rapid Rewards members at no additional charge.
The news follows a similar announcement from American Airlines, and it was revealed in April that it will begin offering free Wi-Fi from 2026. American will partner with AT&T to make the service available on planes equipped with high-speed satellite connections. (Some of the old American widebody planes are not suitable for newer technologies.)
Like the Southwest, passengers will need to sign up for American’s Aadvantage Loyalty program and have free access to Wi-Fi.
The sky’s Wi-Fi revolution
Over the past few years, large free Wi-Fi products have become table stakes in the aviation industry, and passengers are cherished to stay connected more than ever.
Of the US airlines of the “Big 3” US airlines in the US, Delta and United, they first moved in February 2023 when they announced free Wi-Fi for the mainline domestic fleet. By the end of 20244, the airline reported that over 700 planes were equipped to provide free internet access. Like the US and the Southwest, Delta Wi-Fi is free only for members of the airline’s Skymiles loyalty program.
In September 2024, United announced its intention to install free high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi in its fleet. Services will be installed on local planes by the end of the year, and then installed in the mainline fleet. Ultimately, United will equip the entire fleet with Starlink. United also has free Wi-Fi available to MileagePlus members.
Hawaiian Airlines also has a free Wi-Fi program in collaboration with Starlink on Airbus A330 and A321neo planes, and Alaska Airlines (which recently merged with Hawaiian) revealed that the Starlink partnership will expand to Alaska, starting in 2026, allowing access to Airlines’ new relocation program. Too much.
The first airline to offer high speed and free Wi-Fi was JetBlue since 2013, and the airline now serves all aircraft in its fleet.
The recent offers for free high-speed wi-fi in America are very sweet as airlines charge most to stay connected. And the reliability of that connection is at best contradictory.
Southwest aircraft do not have seatback screens, and Americans don’t have plans to equip most of the plane’s seats with seatback screens for entertainment. That is, two airlines bet that flyer phones, tablets or laptops will be all the entertainment you need for most flights with free and quick internet access.
Now, races are looking at which major airlines offer the best and fastest connections in the air. This is great news for passengers who like to connect or stay in flight (and bittersweet news for those who appreciate the opportunity to disconnect during flight or prefer a seatback screen loaded with entertainment options).
This story originally published in April 2025 and updated on September 5, 2025 and contains current information.