Southwest Will Offer Free Wi-Fi on Some of its Flights

As Southwest aims to upgrade its services, the company will be offering free Wi-Fi on select flights.

The airline will temporarily offer travelers free Wi-Fi on certain flights starting this week, part of a test to bring faster internet to more customers.
Free Wi-Fi on Southwest will be available from tomorrow through June 10 on certain flights in the western U.S., as part of a test to bring faster internet to more customers.

The company has outfitted 40 of its Boeing 737s with upgraded hardware for its Wi-Fi service, according to a memo to employees sent today by Tony Roach, vice president of customer experience and customer relations.

Hawaiian Airlines last week had also said that it aims to offer free Wi-Fi as early as next year via SpaceX’s Starlink service, which it hopes will bring fast internet to passengers on long trips over the Pacific Ocean.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has additionally said that the airline plans to offer free internet connection. The carrier trialed the complimentary access before Covid-19 started.

Southwest currently offers Wi-Fi for $8 per day and says on its website that it blocks access to some high-bandwidth sites such as Netflix, HBO Max and Zoom.

“This trial will allow Customers to stream, browse, and engage on the internet at no cost just like other complimentary services,” Roach wrote in the memo. “Our goal is to evaluate how the new hardware improves performance while delivering a reliable internet experience used by a large volume of Customers.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.