American Airlines Makes Three Major Changes to Onboard Wi-Fi

American Airlines is enhancing its onboard Wi-Fi offerings with three major changes that are expected to make the service more accessible and more robust for its flyers.

The first is that American will start offering free Wi-Fi on its Viasat domestic narrowbody fleet, though there is a catch—passengers will have to sit through some ads in order to get access. There is the option for passengers to pay to remove the ads, but all passengers will have the option of sitting through some ads before getting online for free.

The second is that American will start offering video streaming capabilities on its entire mainline fleet. Passengers will be able to stream video on whatever streaming platform they are subscribed to, in addition to the 1,500 or so pieces of free content passengers can access via American, including baby sensory videos through Hey Bear Sensory, wellness options, and more.

Passengers who have tried to stream video in flight before probably know that it’s a fool’s errand, but American is promising that passengers will have no problem accessing streaming platforms in flight. Other airlines, including Delta and Alaska Airlines, offer streaming access on some of its fleet. American says that it is the first major airline to “offer streaming capabilities on 100% of its mainline fleet.”

The third is that American will now allow members of its AAdvantage loyalty program, who either are not flying on American’s Viasat domestic narrowbody fleet or want to avoid the ads, to use their miles to pay for Wi-Fi.

American said it expects to start rolling this feature out on “a couple of select aircraft” over the next few weeks.

“By the summer travel season, all of the airline’s Viasat-equipped narrowbody aircraft will offer this ability to unlock Wi-Fi in exchange for miles,” American said.