Does American Airlines Have WiFi & How Much Does It Cost?

Before we talk about American Airlines and how much it costs to connect to their WiFi network, have you ever wondered how aircraft are able to connect to the Internet while cruising at close to 40,000 feet? In today’s fast-paced world, switching your electronic devices off or putting them in airplane mode is inconvenient, especially if you need to stay in touch with your office or get some work done before a business meeting.

The good news is that more and more airlines, including American Airlines, are making inflight WiFi available to passengers. To connect the aircraft with the Internet, airlines use one of two options:

• Air-to-ground
• Air to satellite

Air-to-ground connectivity works similarly to how your mobile phone connects to the Internet when using data. Aircraft have an antenna on the underside of the fuselage that connects with cell phone towers on the ground. As the plane moves across the sky, it simply connects with the nearest cell tower on a rolling basis. While this system works fine when flying over land, once you are out on the ocean, there are no towers to connect to.

Aircraft connect to satellites when flying over the ocean

To solve the problem, the aircraft connects with an orbiting satellite using an antenna on the top of the fuselage. Just like the cell towers on the ground, the aircraft will connect with the nearest satellite, which then links the plane and a ground station to relay the signal.

Photo: GaudiLab | Shutterstock.

Unfortunately, connectivity and bandwidth are not as good as they are when using fiber optics on the ground, but it is getting better all the time.

Regarding American Airlines, the world’s largest airline by fleet size, nearly all American Airliners aircraft and their regional partner American Eagle offer passengers WiFi on flights. The exception to the rule is you will not have WiFi if you are flying on American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145s. ERJ-170s, or Bombardier CRJ-200s.

American Airlines narrowbody jets use Viasat WiFi

American Airlines narrowbody Boeing 737s and Airbus A320 family aircraft feature gate-to-gate fast connectivity via Viasat WiFi. On its widebody Boeing 787s and 777s, American Airlines uses Panasonic connectivity, which is slower than Viasat but does offer a WiFi connection shortly after takeoff and before landing.

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How much does American Airlines charge for WiFi?

The Internet access cost on an American Airlines flight can vary depending on the route. The shorter the flight, the cheaper the WiFi. For its frequent flyers, American Airlines offers a subscription service that costs:

• For one device, it is $49.95 per month or $599 per year
• For two devices, it is $59.95 per month or $699 per year

If you travel a lot for business every year, it’s probably best to pay for a subscription; however, the downside is that the subscription is only good on American Airlines flights within North America, but not on American Airlines long-haul international flights.

Image: Viasat

For people who want to avoid paying for a subscription, American Airlines sells Internet access via various passes. One offers limited-time access for one or two hours, while the other offers Internet access for the entire flight.

The amount American Airlines charges varies on the marketplace and the flight length, but it is generally available for between $15 and $35 on a domestic flight within the United States.

American Airlines WiFi on long-haul flights will improve

Unlike some airlines that offer free WiFi to their premium customers or credit card holders, American Airlines does not. On some American Airlines flights, there can be accessible free WiFi for, say, 20 to 30 minutes if passengers watch a paid advertisement.

Photo: American Airlines

Overall, American Airlines offers a decent WiFi package on its narrowbody aircraft, and as of 2024, its new Boeing 787 aircraft will feature Viasat WiFi, which will make its long-haul WiFi better.