There’s a reason I fly JetBlue as often as I do. Part of it is because the airline just works, having done less than most airlines (and a lot less than some airlines) to tick me off, leave me stranded on delays, or subject me to broken airline seats.
The other part of it is their free Wi-Fi. When I’m nickel-and-dimed for every little thing, not having to shell out dinner money to text my complaints to people back home can really take the edge off being crammed in a flying Pringles can full of other people’s breath.
Well, now JetBlue has some competition. American Airlines isn’t just introducing free Wi-Fi to its entire fleet worldwide, but high-speed Wi-Fi. They’ll begin installing the new AT&T-provided satellite Wi-Fi systems this month.
the rollout Explained
“The rollout will happen in phases,” says American Airlines in a January 6, 2026, press release. “Starting this month, free high-speed Wi-Fi will begin rolling out across 100 percent of our narrowbody and dual-class regional fleets, and by early spring, it will be available on nearly every American Airlines flight.”
You have to be a member of AAdvantage, American Airlines’ loyalty program. There’s no cost to join or a minimum number of flights or miles you need to have flown, so you may as well sign up.
American Airlines provided no specifics on exactly how “high speed” the AT&T-provided Wi-Fi will be. It’d take a heck of a system to support hundreds of people streaming video at the same time, so I won’t hold my breath.
But streaming music without interruption would be nice, as would a faster connection for work. I’ve had to ditch some work tasks in the past because a plane’s Wi-Fi couldn’t handle WordPress or even upload simple JPEGs.
With the entire fleet receiving the new Wi-Fi by spring, it shouldn’t be long before we can test it out in person.
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