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ZDNET Highlights
- American Airlines will soon get free high-speed Wi-Fi.
- This service will be available on almost all flights.
- You’ll need a free AAdvantage account to log in.
The next time you hop on an American Airlines flight, you’ll be able to stay connected at no charge.
free to sign up
AT&T announced last week It has partnered with the airline to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi on more than 2 million American Airlines flights per year. To access it you just need to log in to the in-flight portal with your AAdvantage number and password and select “Free Wi-Fi.” If you’re not a member, you can sign up for free.
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AT&T said the rollout will begin this month and continue in phases. Narrowbody and dual-class regional fleets used for short flights will be the first to receive free connectivity. By early spring, free internet will be available on every aircraft in that fleet and almost every other flight.
an essential
Heather Garboden, chief customer officer for American Airlines, noted that “free high-speed Wi-Fi is no longer just a perk” but a necessity for today’s travelers.
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While in-flight Wi-Fi has been available on various airlines for nearly two decades, it is notoriously unreliable, slow, and expensive. With many people working remotely and many simply wanting to stay connected or stream content, airlines are realizing the importance of reliable, fast Wi-Fi.
United Airlines launched a similar offering last year (powered by Starlink), and Delta offers free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members on most domestic and international flights.
How fast is ‘high speed’?
American Airlines didn’t specify how fast “high speed” will be, but we do know that Internet will be provided by Viasat and Intelsat.
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A Recent performance tests from Ookla Comparing in-flight Wi-Fi on different airlines found Intelsat’s average download speed to be right at 60Mbps, so it’s probably safe to say that’s a good estimate.
