It’s pretty shocking that even though the internet has been an essential part of our lives for nearly 30 years, the number of U.S. airlines that supply free Wi-Fi to all passengers still stands at a grand total of one.
And even that was a long time coming. JetBlue, which began flying in 2000, announced its intention to add free Wi-Fi for customers back in 2013, but it wasn’t until early 2017 that the airline was able to extend the amenity on every jet at every seat.
Delta Air Lines is currently in the process of rolling out free Wi-Fi to all of its flights, another multiyear process that the company says will finally be finished by the end of 2025.
The rarity of free Wi-Fi on flights operated by U.S. carriers isn’t because the tech is impossible to figure out. It’s because the major airlines decided they’d rather milk their customers for the privilege of basic connectivity.
Most airlines have insisted customers pay extra for the service, either in the form of per-flight add-on fees or elevated status achieved through more expensive ticket purchases. On United Airlines in 2024, for example, Wi-Fi costs $8 or 800 miles per flight for the carrier’s frequent flyer members and $10 for everyone else.
But in September 2024, as business expense accounts dry up, United finally announced its intention to emulate JetBlue’s free-to-all generosity.
United announced it will add Wi-Fi to all its planes, and, moreover, the company will give the perk free to every passenger regardless of ticket class.
JetBlue took nearly 4 years to implement a similar promise. So when will passengers actually be able to use free Wi-Fi on United Airlines?
When United announced the addition of free Wi-Fi via the satellite-based Starlink system, the company said “testing begins in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later that year.”
So customers of United Airlines will not enjoy any free Wi-Fi until late in 2025 at the soonest, and even then, only a fraction of United’s 1,000-odd aircraft will be ready.
This pushes the fleetwide implementation of free Wi-Fi on United Airlines well into 2026—at the earliest. United said full implementation won’t happen until “the next several years,” so it looks as if JetBlue’s lengthy, multiyear installation period will be repeated by United.
In case you were wondering, United has indicated that it is not planning to remove seatback entertainment screens once the new Wi-Fi capabilities are installed. “United has nearly 100,000 seatback screens across its fleet, with plans to grow these numbers as the airline continues to take delivery of new airplanes and retrofit existing aircraft with its new United signature interiors,” the airline stated in the press announcement.
And if you were wondering how fast the new Wi-Fi system will be, Starlink has also been made available widely throughout the cruise industry, where robust video streaming capabilities are now a daily reality (usually at a charge) for passengers even when ships are hundreds or thousands of miles from port and the weather is inclement.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” promised United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby as part of the initial announcement.
Unfortunately, that could mean you’ll have to sit through your seatmate’s Zoom meetings and FaceTime banter, too.
As America’s airlines finally try to catch up with our ever-connected 21st-century lives, the newest must-pack item for travelers’ comfort and sanity may soon be the humble earplug.