Is Wi-Fi free on American Airlines?

American Airlines is an international airline, which is also one of the biggest ones and it is a member of the OneWorld alliance. It is a major airline that has its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, and provides service to many domestic and international destinations. The use of Wireless fidelity, mostly referred to as WIFI, is one of the most common necessities for travelers today when they are on a flight. Now, a common thing that most people who travel with American Airlines find themselves asking is whether the WiFi is free on the flight or not. Alas, the reply is negative: American Airlines does not provide its travelers with free WiFi connection on flights at present. However, Wireless Internet communications, also known as WiFi, are available for purchase in the majority of American Airlines aircraft today.

WiFi Facilities for American Airlines Currently, most American Airlines planes have WiFi connectivity in them, but the type of planes, either Boeing or Airbus, and the model number determine their availability. However, there are still several aircraft models that have not incorporated WiFi into their cabins. For the Airbus A319 and A320 slim-body aircraft equipped with inflight WiFi, it is available when the airplane is in the United States. Their international-configured counterparts have WiFi fluttering on the international level. Meanwhile, all wide-body Airbus A330s, Boeing 777sand most Boeing 737s have satellite-based WiFi access. Depending on the airline, passengers may obtain information regarding flight connectivity before approaching the check-in counter through the Internet or during the check-in process. Data on equipped aircraft is also provided on the American Airlines app for mobile devices and the official website of the airline company.

The Technical Process of Connecting to Inflight WiFi for American Airlines American Airlines inflight WiFi service is based on two companies: Global, which provides connection via the Gogo air-to-ground Network, and Panasonic Avionics high-speed broadband. Many of those WiFi-equipped airplanes that Americans employ use GoGo technology, where internet connections are relayed through cellphone towers on the ground to cover flying aircraft. For the Boeing 787 Dreamliners and the selected Airbus A350 aircraft that the carrier has ordered recently Panasonic Avionics. It is a satellite system that has higher bandwidth, which is usually used to mean faster WiFi internet connection compared to Gogo. Both networks charge the intending passenger who wants to be connected to them a fee to access the WiFi pass during the flight.

Global Inflight WiFi Pricing Trends for American Airlines This means that those who want to access the WiFi when they are flying on American Airlines will be required to pay since the inflight WiFi is not free of charge. Internet is provided in four forms, which consist of packages that passengers can buy to access it:

• Per Hour Pass: The cost of this pass is $10 and the validity of this pass is one hour.
• Per Day Pass: $16 is the total amount charged and allows for a twenty-four-hour duration pass.
• Domestic TravelPass: $16 for an entire day of connectivity that is within the continental United States and Canada.
• International TravelPass: $30 anyone, anytime, anywhere,  WiFi access for the entire trip

Because of the above analyses, I will recommend the one-hour pass as the most reasonable price since it goes for $ 10 only. They can also cut costs by using a $49. 95 monthly subscription service called TravelPass, with which a passenger can connect to Wi-Fi for all American Airlines’ travel within a month. Instead, a yearly subscription for TravelPass can be bought for $599 and saves passengers more than half of the charges for Wi-Fi annually. TravelPasses allows only WiFi connection on certain flights within areas that American Airlines operates in.

Passengers with WiFi-enabled flights can also connect with the Gogo or Panasonic network using laptops or mobile devices. It is more convenient to make payment of the fee required for access through a credit card or other means through American Airlines AAdvantage miles. This is attained by deploying a browser that, upon launch, displays a WiFi splash page and asks one to select a package before being granted internet connectivity permission. Messaging services, emails, and social networks are then easily available, much like on the ground if connected to WiFi on the flight.

Why does American Airlines not have free Wi-Fi for passengers? Given that inflight entertainment and WiFi are increasingly considered luxurious services in today’s business aviation, many passengers enviably look forward to its availability free of charge at American Airlines. However, connectivity systems that are equipped with satellites are expensive, both for installation and maintenance by the airlines. The expenses on the equipment are usually between $100,000 and $300,000 for each aircraft. So, for example, to make up for those costs over several years, Americans must offer WiFi service at an additional cost. Furthermore, bandwidth limitations over the air mean over 100+ travelers on every flight, so sometimes free access results in discouraging internet speeds. Therefore, Americans do not have free inflight WiFi even for ConciergeKey, which is their top-tiered elite loyalty program. Maintenance of airplanes, training of crews, and round-the-clock network monitoring also involve additional operating expenses that require WiFi charges to offset the cost. May be someday in the foreseeable future when technology makes it cheaper, Americans might be able to provide free WiFi to all passengers on all their flights. However, today’s acquired inflight WiFi pass guarantees passengers consistent performance, making it possible for passengers to engage in productive or entertainment needs using the internet when aboard American Airlines flights today, even though the service is not free as of now.

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