Members of American Airlines’ AAdvantage loyalty program will soon be able to use miles to pay for WiFi on board. The carrier will start rolling out this new ability to redeem miles in the next few weeks on select aircraft. By the summer travel season, all the airline’s Viasat-equipped narrowbody aircraft will offer this ability to unlock WiFi in exchange for miles. (Viasat is a satellite communications provider.)
Once connected, according to an announcement, customers can enjoy WiFi even longer with gate-to-gate connectivity on most mainline aircraft, allowing them to stay connected from the minute they find their seat to when they’re deplaning. Customers looking for a free WiFi option can find ad-sponsored WiFi across 100% of American’s Viasat domestic narrowbody aircraft.
All WiFi connectivity enhancements will be powered by a new design for the WiFi portal that customers use inflight, rolling out throughout the year. The new design, according to the announcement, will further enhance the customer experience by making WiFi offerings even more accessible for customers with a user-friendly WiFi purchase process with fewer clicks and effective direct-to-customer communication through pop-up messaging.
The portal, according to the announcement, will also make content easier to navigate through a sleeker design, providing an “aesthetically pleasing experience” that highlights American’s WiFi, entertainment and partner offers on a single page.
In addition, this summer, American and Intelsat will begin installation of high-speed WiFi on nearly 500 dual-class regional aircraft — helping even more customers have a consistent and connected inflight experience, according to the announcement. (Intelsat is a satellite communications provider.)