Southwest and T-Mobile are bringing free in-flight Wi-Fi to nearly everyone

Southwest Airlines is partnering with T-Mobile to provide its travelers with free Wi-Fi during flights. While you might assume this benefit only applies to T-Mobile customers, the scope is broader. Anyone who signs up for a free Southwest Rapid Rewards account can access in-flight service powered by T-Mobile, regardless of their wireless provider.

T-Mobile has long offered free in-flight texting and Wi-Fi options on select plans, but those relied on partnerships with providers like Hughesnet, EchoStar, and ViaSat. With the advent of T-Satellite, T-Mobile is now directly powering in-flight connectivity across entire airline fleets.

Another major difference is scale: while many airlines provide limited in-flight Wi-Fi support for T-Mobile, Southwest plans to roll out free Wi-Fi for all Rapid Rewards customers (including those with T-Mobile service) across its full fleet of more than 800 aircraft. Although T-Mobile’s press release doesn’t explicitly mention T-Satellite, it would obviously play a role in delivering service at cruising altitudes.

This leaves me a bit curious as to why Starlink would allow partnerships like this when they’ve also directly courted some flight providers. That said, if T-Mobile is providing all the upfront work here, Starlink still reaps the benefit of greater reach without direct effort on its end. Does anyone else have any thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments below.