American Airlines Links Free WiFi to Loyalty Program

American Airlines is expanding free high-speed WiFi to its AAdvantage loyalty members across nearly its entire fleet beginning in January 2026. This initiative represents a broader industry transformation where in-flight internet is no longer a premium perk but a tool to boost membership in lucrative loyalty programs. The Texas-based carrier aims to become the airline with free WiFi on more planes than any other carrier globally.

The complimentary service requires membership in the AAdvantage program, which is free to join and can be completed during the flight. This change significantly upgrades the current offering, which limits free access to 30 minutes and requires watching an ad. By tying WiFi to loyalty, American joins competitors like Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines in using connectivity to drive revenue through credit card partnerships and repeat travel.

American Airlines announced on Tuesday that it will begin rolling out free, high-speed WiFi on more than 1,400 mainline narrowbody and dual-class regional aircraft. By early spring, nearly every American flight, including new Boeing 787s serving long-haul international routes, will offer the service. The airline stated this expansion will make it the carrier with free WiFi on more planes than any other in the world.

The WiFi service is sponsored by AT&T and powered by satellites from providers Viasat and Intelsat. However, the complimentary internet is exclusively available to American's AAdvantage loyalty members. Passengers can create an account at 35,000 feet using basic personal information and immediately begin browsing and streaming at no cost.

Currently, American offers free WiFi to AAdvantage members on a limited number of aircraft, but it is typically restricted to up to 30 minutes and requires watching an advertisement. Non-members currently pay a minimum of $10 for access. The January rollout will scale the high-speed internet service significantly.

The shift toward loyalty-exclusive WiFi underscores a broader industry trend where free connectivity serves as an entry point into highly profitable loyalty ecosystems. By limiting access to members, airlines encourage repeat travel and steer customers toward co-branded credit cards from institutions like JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, and American Express. This business model is lucrative, generating billions of dollars annually for airlines.

Loyalty is a critical part of the airline business that often generates more revenue than flying itself. According to 2024 SEC filings, airline loyalty programs brought in more than $6 billion for American and Delta, while United and Southwest collected over $2 billion each. These revenues rely on customers signing up for airline credit cards, where banks pay airlines for miles earned on everyday spending.

Airlines also benefit from annual fees on these cards, ranging from $0 to $695, and rely on customers never using accumulated miles. A 2024 federal filing indicated Southwest had $4.8 billion worth of unused miles on its balance sheet, while Delta had about $9 billion. Tying WiFi to loyalty membership is essentially airlines dangling a carrot to give passengers a taste of the perks they could unlock, such as:

• Free luggage
• Exclusive check-in lines
• Expedited security and airport lounge access
• Priority boarding and seat upgrades

American's Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, commented on the strategy: "Customers today expect amenities that go beyond the basics and deliver a unique experience, and our loyalty program is designed to meet those expectations by adding meaningful value to every journey. Our inflight WiFi delivers fast, reliable performance across our fleet so travelers can stream, browse, and stay productive from gate to gate."

As free connectivity becomes widespread, the competitive focus has shifted to speed and reliability. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines are rolling out SpaceX's Starlink WiFi, which could give them an edge over the traditional satellite systems used by American, Delta, and Southwest. Real-world tests show Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellites cut latency—the time it takes for a signal to travel to the satellite and back—to just a few tens of milliseconds, compared with hundreds of milliseconds for higher-altitude satellites.

This technology allows Starlink to support video calls, streaming, and gaming with significantly reduced lag, addressing the challenge of maintaining consistent WiFi on transoceanic flights. Despite the competition, American and Delta claim their WiFi coverage is equally dependable with high speeds and minimal drops.

The airline loyalty game remains extremely popular, allowing airlines to adjust program requirements while still drawing millions of new members. In 2023, Delta adjusted its SkyMiles program, switching status-earning from miles flown to dollars spent. Despite these changes, both Delta and United recorded more than 1 million sign-ups for co-branded credit cards in 2024, reporting a 9% year-over-year increase in loyalty revenue in the third quarter of 2025. American's loyalty revenue increased by 7% during the same quarter.