Photo: Shutterstock American Airlines has announced that beginning in January 2026, it will offer complimentary Wi-Fi on its flights as part of a partnership with telecommunications giant AT&T.
The service will be available exclusively to members of AAdvantage, the airline’s frequent flyer program, and is expected to cover more than 2 million flights annually—making American the U.S. airline with the broadest Wi-Fi availability.
This move follows similar announcements from other major U.S. carriers, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, both of which have already introduced onboard wireless internet services.
The collaboration between the two legacy Texas-based companies—American Airlines and AT&T—is rooted in a shared mission: to connect people to what matters most, even at 35,000 feet.
The service will rely on the satellite infrastructure of Viasat and Intelsat, providing quality, continuous, and high-speed browsing.
Photo: AMERICAN AIRLINES“Our customers truly value staying connected while in the air—whether it’s messaging friends, working, scrolling through social media, or streaming their favorite content,” said Heather Garboden, Vice President of Customer Experience at American Airlines, who stepped into the role just two months ago. “Through our partnership with AT&T, we’re proud to offer this service free of charge to our most loyal AAdvantage members.”
Currently, approximately 90% of American Airlines’ fleet—which notably suspended all flights to Israel until further notice due to the “Iron Swords” war—is already equipped with advanced Wi-Fi infrastructure. By the end of 2025, the airline is expected to complete the installation of high-speed connectivity on over 500 additional regional aircraft, enabling nearly the entire fleet to support the service by the official launch in January 2026.
“People expect to be connected—anywhere, anytime,” added Jennifer Robertson, Senior Vice President at AT&T. “We’re proud to partner with American Airlines to make that possible, even at 35,000 feet.”
This initiative is part of a broader renewed focus by American Airlines on enhancing the customer experience across every stage of the travel journey—from booking and boarding to in-flight services. It also complements an ongoing expansion of the AAdvantage loyalty program, which now offers members more ways to earn and redeem points than any other frequent flyer club in the industry.
It’s worth noting that Delta Air Lines announced just last week that it will begin offering fast, free Wi-Fi on flights to Europe and Israel, as well as on domestic U.S. routes. Delta’s move positions it at the forefront of aviation innovation, providing complimentary connectivity to SkyMiles program members (with free registration) for messaging, streaming, apps, and full web access—from the moment the aircraft doors close.
