American Airlines currently has no intentions of providing free or more affordable Wi-Fi, an executive indicates.

If you're counting on American Airlines to join its competitors in offering free or lower-cost inflight Wi-Fi, it might be best not to get your hopes up.

During a press conference on Tuesday at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 in Hamburg, Germany, a senior official responsible for customer experience at the Fort Worth airline suggested that a reduction in Wi-Fi prices is unlikely — at least for the foreseeable future.

Given that rival Delta Air Lines made news last year by introducing free Wi-Fi across much of its fleet, requiring only a SkyMiles loyalty program registration, the questions about the airline's Wi-Fi pricing are certainly justified.

JetBlue has provided free Wi-Fi for years. Meanwhile, United Airlines has recently streamlined its Wi-Fi pricing. On domestic and short-haul international flights, it charges a flat rate of $8 per flight for MileagePlus members, while Southwest Airlines also imposes an $8 fee per device.

However, American Airlines continues to charge significantly more. Prices vary greatly depending on the flight; in 2024, I've seen fares range from as low as $12 for a quick East Coast trip to between $19 and $25 for other domestic routes, and up to $35 for transatlantic journeys.

Elite tiers: Looking to attain American Airlines elite status? Here are 15 strategies to accumulate Loyalty Points

When asked recently about the possibility of reducing or eliminating Wi-Fi fees — similar to Delta and JetBlue — Kimberly Cisek, American Airlines' VP of customer experience, stated: "American Airlines indeed offers the highest-speed Wi-Fi on our aircraft worldwide. We are committed to enhancing this service for our customers by not only providing Wi-Fi but also offering free entertainment options, ranging from podcasts to videos and movies — over 1,500 choices available for our customers to enjoy."

Cisek also highlighted recent updates to American's AAdvantage program, which now allows customers to use miles for inflight internet purchases on select flights— but before opting for this choice, it's wise to check TPG's Awards vs. Cash Calculator to ensure you're not wasting valuable miles.

When pressed for details about the possibility of free Wi-Fi in the future, Cisek replied: "There's more to come. We have just introduced miles as an option for payment."

It’s important to highlight (as Cisek noted) that American's Wi-Fi has indeed become more dependable in recent years. I've experienced strong service on the vast majority of the 32 flights I've taken with the airline in 2024.

This improvement can be largely attributed to the significant investments the airline has made in technology upgrades — and those upgrades certainly come at a cost.

Nevertheless, with the trend of decreasing Wi-Fi prices across the U.S. airline industry, it will be interesting to see how American navigates this situation moving forward. For now, though, stay tuned as developments unfold.