The Guide to American Airlines Inflight Wi-Fi

The free in-flight Wi-Fi boom is here, and American Airlines is on board.

Starting January 2026, American is expected to enable free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members on planes equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high-speed satellite connectivity, which represents about 90% of the fleet. (If you're traveling abroad, you're likely on a plane with Panasonic connectivity, which will continue to be a paid offering.)

Until then, you'll still need to pay for the in-flight Wi-Fi, although there may be ways to get American Airlines Wi-Fi for free through credit card benefits and on a few unique American Airlines "flights."

Here's everything you need to know about American Airlines Wi-Fi.

American Airlines has invested heavily in installing speedy satellite-based Wi-Fi on its aircraft, and you can expect to have a Wi-Fi connection on almost every American Airlines flight.

One exception has been American's regional fleet, operated by its American Eagle regional subsidiaries. Some of its two-cabin planes have not had connectivity, but American is working on retrofitting those to enable onboard connectivity, with a targeted completion date of early 2026.

If you want to confirm American Airlines in-flight Wi-Fi on your next trip, check your flight's status. In addition to seeing information like terminals, gates and even baggage claim location, American Airlines lists a Wi-Fi symbol if your flight is Wi-Fi equipped.

The cost of American Airlines Wi-Fi depends roughly on how long your flight is and which Wi-Fi provider is powering your flight. The cost can be as low as $10 per flight — or as much as $35 per flight on some international American Airlines flights.

Frequent American Airlines flyers may want to purchase a monthly pass. An American Airlines Wi-Fi Subscription Plan costs $49.95 per month or $59.95 per month for a 2-device plan.

This pass will let you connect to the Wi-Fi on almost all domestic and short-haul international flights for no additional cost. Just note that you can't use this American Airlines Wi-Fi plan to connect to the Wi-Fi on long-haul international flights — which is when a subscription might save you the most.

AAdvantage members can also redeem AAdvantage miles for Wi-Fi on certain flights.

» Learn more: Guide to American Airlines elite status

American Airlines doesn't offer free Wi-Fi yet, but that's expected to change in January 2026.

However, there are still ways to get free Wi-Fi on American flights before then. On certain American Airlines flights, passengers can watch a short advertisement in exchange for 20 or 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi, seemingly depending on the advertiser.

Another niche way to get free American Airlines Wi-Fi is to take the American Airlines bus, which offers limited routes out of Philadelphia. All travelers on the Landline-operated buses get free Wi-Fi in addition to streaming entertainment. But don't expect much. In NerdWallet tests, this connection only measured a few megabits per second.

» Learn more: The pros and cons of American Airlines’ loyalty program

Travelers can get discounted or free American Airlines Wi-Fi by carrying certain American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards or using travel credits on other cards.

Small business owners can charge Wi-Fi purchases to the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® to get 25% back on American Airlines Wi-Fi purchases, with no cap on how much you can save.

If you prefer to hold general travel cards rather than airline cards, the Chase and AmEx cards shown above could help offset Wi-Fi costs. For example, Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders can charge American Airlines Wi-Fi purchases to their card to utilize the card's $300 annual travel credit.

Terms apply.

» Learn more: What does (and doesn’t) count for AmEx’s airline fee credit

Once you board your American Airlines flight, connect to the aainflight.com Wi-Fi signal. You'll be prompted to agree to the terms and conditions for using the network. Doing so will unlock your ability to use AA.com, but you won't be connected to the internet quite yet.

To get connected, browse to aainflight.com and purchase a pass or log into your subscription plan. Remember that you won't be able to use a subscription plan on long-haul international flights, so you won't see that option listed when browsing the connection options.

Many American Airlines flights offer Wi-Fi connection from gate to gate. Whether you're purchasing a full-flight pass or utilizing a subscription, you might as well connect as soon as you can to maximize your purchase.

American Airlines offers Wi-Fi on almost all of its flights. However, connecting inflight is going to generally cost you between $10 and $35 per American Airlines flight.

You can cut this cost by charging the purchase to certain American Airlines credit cards or a credit card that offers a travel credit. The only way to get truly free American Airlines Wi-Fi is through advertiser promotions or on the American Airlines Landline bus service.