Which airlines offer free WiFi on flights, and how can you get it?
Free WiFi on airplanes is still not very common, but there are a handful of airlines around the world that offer it — including one major airline that just announced free WiFi for all passengers.
In the United States, only two airlines currently offer free WiFi.
Internationally, there are a number of airlines that offer free WiFi as well.
As with anything “free,” there are a few catches to getting free onboard WiFi. Some airlines offer it on select routes only or for a limited amount of time.
Here are all the major airlines that currently offer free WiFi on most flights:
1. JetBlue
JetBlue was the first U.S. airline to start offering free WiFi to all passengers through their Fly-Fi service in 2013. Since then, it has expanded to cover almost all flights in the United States, as well as many flights to Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as select flights to Europe.
This makes JetBlue one of the best airlines to fly if you’re looking for free WiFi — but coverage may vary depending on the route and type of plane.
Delta is the latest airline in the U.S. to start offering free WiFi on most flights. This new program began rolling out in early 2023 and is expected to cover all major domestic flights by the end of 2023, and all international flights and regional flights by the end of 2024.
In order to access the free onboard WiFi on Delta flights, you must be a member of SkyMiles, Delta’s frequent flyer program.
Fortunately, it’s free to sign up for SkyMiles and you can do it while you’re on the plane before connecting to WiFi if you aren’t already a member.
3. Singapore Airlines
The most recent airline to announce free WiFi for all is Singapore Airlines.
According to Simple Flying, free WiFi will be available for passengers in all cabins starting July 1. Previously, passengers flying in premium cabins already enjoyed free WiFi, so this roll-out is expected to cover all flights and routes immediately.
Now, passengers seated in economy class will be able to connect to free WiFi too. Similar to Delta, travelers will need to join Singapore Airlines’ free KrisFlyer loyalty program prior to connecting.
4. Qatar Airways
Another airline to offer free WiFi is Qatar Airways — but it does come with a caveat.
In order to access free WiFi on your Qatar Airways flight, you must be a member of the airline’s Privilege Club frequent flyer program (it’s free to join.)
Even then, you’ll only get one hour of complimentary WiFi. After that, you can choose to upgrade to a paid package to continue surfing the web.
5. Norwegian Airlines
European low-cost carrier Norwegian Airlines offers free WiFi on many of their flights. Travelers on short-haul flights within Europe will have access to complimentary WiFi, and as of 2020, it’s available on many long-haul trans-Atlantic flights too.
However, the free WiFi only applies to the “Basic” plan. If you want faster service or the ability to stream video content, you’ll need to pay for a premium WiFi package.
Honorable Mentions
These airlines offer limited free WiFi on select routes or to limited destinations:
Philippine Airlines: Offers 30 minutes of free WiFi on select international flights
Qantas: Offers complimentary WiFi on all domestic flights within Australia
Nok Air: Offers free WiFi on all flights (mainly flies within Thailand)
Air New Zealand: Offers complimentary WiFi on select flights
Free WiFi on flights seems to be a growing trend, and more airlines may offer this benefit in the future, making it easier than ever to stay connected.
It’s been a long time coming, but Delta has raced ahead of every major, full-service airline in the United States and launched complimentary WiFi service during flights. As of this week, passengers are no longer required to be disconnected from their socials or email while flying, in a major change of policy that is set to have wider repercussions in the industry.
As exciting as it sounds, Delta has reiterated not all flights are included:
Free WiFi On All Domestic Mainline Routes
Lack of connectivity on board Delta flights is no longer a problem. On February 1, the company introduced its ‘fast, free’ Wi-Fi across a sizable portion of its fleet, allowing customers to access the internet without paying high fees. The initiative, which is a partnership with T-Mobile, has impacted ‘most’ domestic mainline routes.
For those of you who may not be familiar with aviation lingo, any aircraft operated by an airline’s main operating unit is deemed ‘mainline’. In simpler terms, only routes serviced by Delta directly, as opposed to regional subsidiaries, have benefited from the rollout. Needless to say, it was not extended to a majority of low-cost operations.
The Delta secondary fleet is run under the Delta Connection brand, including the carrier’s own Endeavor Air, as well as subsidiaries Republic Airways and SkyWest, regularly used as part of code-sharing agreements. In total, Viasat-powered Wi-Fi was activated on more than 500 aircraft on the launch date, with more to come.
By the end of the year, they plan on offering Wi-Fi on more than 700 aircraft. Remaining connected in-flight is no longer a luxury; it is ‘essential to daily life’, especially in the context of business owners and digital nomads who use every opportunity they get in those in-between moments (e.g. flying or transiting airports) to catch up with some work.
According to CEO Ed Bastian himself, their connectivity ‘should be no different’ on Delta flights. He stated in Delta’s press release that their vision ‘has long been to deliver an experience at 30,000 feet that feels similar to what our customers have available on the ground‘, beginning with mainline, domestic operations.
Airports Served By Delta Air Lines
The following destinations have been served by Delta Air Lines:
Alabama
Birmingham – Shuttlesworth International
Huntsville
Mobile
Alaska
Anchorage – Ted Stevens International
Fairbanks
Juneau
Ketchikan
Sitka
Arizona
Arkansas
Fayetteville – Northwest Arkansas National
Little Rock – Clinton National
California
Burbank
Long Beach
Los Angeles – Los Angeles International
Oakland
Ontario
Palm Springs
Sacramento
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose – Norman Y. Mineta International
Santa Ana – John Wayne Airport
Colorado
Denver – Denver International
Hayden – Yampa Valley Airport
Montrose
Vail – Eagle County Airport
Connecticut
Hartford – Bradley International
Florida
Daytona Beach
Fort Lauderdale – Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
Fort Myers – Southwest Florida International
Fort Walton Beach – Destin-Fort Walton Beach
Gainesville
Jacksonville
Key West
Melbourne – Melbourne Orlando International
Miami – Miami International
Orlando – Orlando International
Panama City – Northwest Florida Beaches International
Pensacola
Sarasota – Sarasota-Bradenton International
Tallahassee
Tampa
West Palm Beach
Georgia
Atlanta – Hartsfield-Jackson International
Augusta
Savannah
Hawaii
Honolulu – Daniel K. Inouye International
Kahului
Kona
Lihue
Idaho
Illinois
Chicago – Midway International
Chicago – O’Hare International
Indiana
Iowa
Cedar Rapids – Eastern Iowa Airport
Des Moines
Kansas
Wichita – Eisenhower National Airport
Kentucky
Louisville – Muhammad Ali International
Louisiana
Baton Rouge – Metropolitan Airport
New Orleans – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Maine
Bangor
Portland – International Jetport
Maryland
Baltimore – Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Massachusetts
Boston – Logan International
Worcester
Michigan
Detroit – Metropolitan Airport
Grand Rapids – Gerald R. Ford International
Traverse City – Cherry Capital Airport
Minnesota
Duluth
Minneapolis-Saint Paul
Mississippi
Gulfport – Gulfport-Biloxi International
Jackson
Young woman looking at the flight information board on the airport, checking her flight
Missouri
Kansas City – Kansas City International
Springfield – Springfield-Branson National Airport
St. Louis – St. Louis Lambert International
Montana
Billings – Billings Logan International
Bozeman – Bozeman Yellowstone International
Kalispell – Glacier Park International
Missoula
Nebraska
Omaha – Eppley Airfield
Nevada
Las Vegas – Harry Reid International
Reno – Reno-Tahoe International
New Jersey
Newark – Liberty International
New Mexico
New York
Albany
Buffalo – Buffalo Niagara International
New York City – John F. Kennedy International
New York City – LaGuardia International
Rochester – Greater Rochester International
Syracuse – Syracuse Hancock International
White Plains – Westchester County Airport
North Carolina
Asheville
Charlotte – Charlotte Douglas International
Fayetteville
Greensboro – Piedmont Triad International
Raleigh – Raleigh-Durham International
Wilmington
North Dakota
Bismark – Municipal Airport
Fargo – Hector International
Ohio
Cincinnati-Covington – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Cleveland – Cleveland Hopkins International
Columbus – John Glenn Columbus International
Dayton
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City – Will Rogers World Airport
Tulsa
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Harrisburg
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Puerto Rico
San Juan – Luis Munoz Marin International
Rhode Island
Providence – T. F. Green Airport
South Carolina
Greenville – Greenville-Spartanburg International
Myrtle Beach
South Dakota
Rapid City – Regional Airport
Sioux Falls – Regional Airport
Tennessee
Bristol – Tri-Cities Regional Airport
Chattanooga – Metropolitan Airport
Knoxville – McGhee Tyson Airport
Memphis – Memphis International
Nashville – Nashville International
Texas
Austin – Austin-Bergstrom International
Dallas – Dallas/Fort Worth International
Dallas – Dallas Love Field
El Paso – El Paso International
Harlingen – Valley International
Houston – George Bush Intercontinental
Houston – William P. Hobby
San Antonio – San Antonio International
U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix – Henry E. Rohlsen International
Saint Thomas – Cyril E. King Airport
Utah
Salt Lake City – Salt Lake City International
Vermont
Burlington – Burlington International
Virginia
Norfolk – Norfolk International
Richmond – Richmond International
Roanoke – Roanoke International
Washington
Seattle – Seattle-Tacoma International
Spokane – Spokane International
Washington D.C.
Washington – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Washington – Washington Dulles International
West Virginia
Charleston – Yager Airport
Wisconsin
Appleton – Appleton International
Green Bay – Green Bay-Austin Straubel International
Madison – Dane County Airport
La Crosse – La Crosse Regional
Milwaukee – Milwaukee Mitchell International
Wyoming
Casper – Casper-Natrona County International
Jackson Hole
WiFi Expected On All International And Regional Flights By The End Of 2024
In principle, flights between these hubs already feature Viasat WiFi. Moving forward, Delta expects to include coverage on all international and regional aircraft ‘by the end of 2024’. At present, only passengers flying to and from any of the cities above enjoy free WiFi, available through their Delta SkyMiles® account.
Bastian stated that they didn’t ‘just want free Wi-Fi to offer base-level service’: they expect it to be ‘transformative’ for the flying experience: ‘It is imperative all customers onboard can enjoy their favorite content just as they would at home, and we’ve put this system through meticulous tests to make that possible‘.
Delta may have been the first airline to successfully implement complimentary WiFi on mainline aircraft, but it was not the first to conduct a trial: last year, low-cost Southwest began offering the service on a number of flights while lifting restrictions on browsing. Previously, a WiFi pass had to be purchased for $8, excluding streaming.
Despite Delta’s and Southwest’s latest upgrades, free WiFi on board is yet to be replicated by most of their competitors, though slowly but surely, the industry is changing and adding it to their list of amenities. A decade or more ago, accessing emails onboard low-cost commercial flights would have been an inconceivable idea, yet here we are.
As competition increases, it is only a matter of time – perhaps a couple more years – until WiFi is widely available across all intra-U.S. flights.
One of America’s largest airline carriers is offering FREE WiFi to all passengers on board some of its flights – up until 10 June.
Having begun the trial just a few days ago (4 May), Southwest Airlines – which is the world’s largest low-cost carrier – is currently offering free WiFi on board a number of its Boeing 737 airplanes.
The trial is part of a test for new hardware – which has recently been installed on 40 of the airline’s fleet – to see if it can cope with large numbers of users at one time, as well as provide faster internet to all passengers that connect to it.
Which Flights Are Offering Free WiFi?
As just mentioned, the trial of free WiFi is currently taking place on board 40 of Southwest’s Boeing 737 planes – with these aircrafts operating flights throughout the western part of the United States.
Will You Be Able To Stream Netflix Using The FREE WiFi?
Passengers that are on board any of Southwest’s flights that are part of the Free WiFi trial will be able to “stream, browse, and engage on the internet,” according to Southwest’s Vice President of Customer Experience and Customer Relations, Tony Roach.
So, it does look like passengers will be able to stream their latest Netflix or HBO series whilst cruising at 30,000 feet in the air.
The airline’s current offering of WiFi – which is available on board Southwest’s WiFi-enabled aircrafts at a cost of $8 – does not allow passengers to stream movies and content from websites such as Netflix, HBO Max, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
This is due to the airline’s WiFi blocking access to high-bandwidth websites, applications and video conferencing services.
How Long Will The Trial Last For?
The trial is set to last for six weeks, with all passengers on board the 40 flights – that has the new WiFi hardware installed – being able to connect to the WiFi at no cost.
The trial began on 4 May and will continue up until 10 June.
Is Free WiFi Available On All Southwest Flights?
At this moment in time, no.
However, it could well be in the near future – especially if the newly installed hardware on some of Southwest’s airplanes can cope with large numbers of users at one time.
The airline does currently offer WiFi to all passengers on board its flights at a cost of $8 per passenger to use it – with the service being free to connect to for Southwest’s A-List Preferred Members.
Will Southwest Be Offering FREE WiFi On Board All Of Its Flights In The Future?
At this moment in time, this is unknown.
However, if the trial is a success then it could be that in the future all Southwest passengers will be able to connect to FREE WiFi – which would allow them to stream their favorite movie or TV series whilst flying high in the sky.
Speaking about the airline’s trial of their upgraded WiFi, Southwest’s Vice President of Customer Experience and Customer Relations, Tony Roach, explained the company’s vision:
“Our goal is to evaluate how the new hardware improves performance while delivering a reliable internet experience used by a large volume of Customers.”
Do Any Other Of The Major Airlines In The U.S. Offer Free WiFi?
Right now, only one of America’s major airlines – JetBlue – offers free WiFi to all passengers on board any of its flights.
However, just a month ago we reported that five airlines in the U.S. had lowered the cost of their onboard WiFi services.
And, just last week it was revealed that Hawaiian Airlines will become the first major airline to provide Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service to passengers on board its flights from next year.
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