In April 2025, American made an exciting and overdue announcement, about inflight Wi-Fi. The airline had announced that it would introduce free Wi-Fi as of January 2026, though the airline stopped short of actually providing an exact date.
I know many people have been curious about exactly when in January the free service will launch, so here’s the answer — American’s free Wi-Fi is rolling out as of Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Let’s cover all the details.
This will be offered on all aircraft equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high speed satellite connectivity, accounting for roughly 90% of the fleet. This means that most wide body jets won’t be offering free Wi-Fi. That’s fair enough, since Delta is struggling with actually offering its promised free Wi-Fi in many long haul markets due to satellite availability, and that has now been delayed by up to two years.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
