Free Internet Ending on American Airlines' 737 MAX in March for Passengers Without Gogo Plans
One of the few passenger-friendly aspects of American Airlines' new 737 MAX — which has been panned by both passengers and flight attendants — is the free internet. AA's newest aircraft type has offered free ViaSat satellite-based Wi-Fi to all passengers since its inaugural flight in November 2017.
Soon, the dismal 737 MAX experience will get even worse as that free internet is switched off.
American Airlines currently has three internet providers across its fleet: Gogo, Panasonic and ViaSat. Gogo is the most widespread on AA's domestic fleet, and mostly consists of painfully slow ground-based Wi-Fi — although AA is retrofitting satellite-based service on some of its domestic fleet. Panasonic is on AA's international fleet and usually performs decently well (my flight from London to Miami on Monday notwithstanding). ViaSat comes installed on AA's 737 MAX aircraft, with plans already underway to retrofit ViaSat onto existing AA aircraft.
ViaSat performed pretty well on my recent AA 737 MAX first class flight from New York's LaGuardia (LGA) to Miami (MIA), despite it being free for all passengers. That said, there were only 57 passengers onboard.
There are a couple of reasons American Airlines has been offering free internet on 737 MAX flights.
The first — and seemingly primary — reason is to appease Gogo monthly subscribers. As I confirmed with an American Airlines spokesperson after flying the 737 MAX, the airline planned on providing complimentary ViaSat internet until the airline was able to get Gogo subscribers free access to ViaSat. This is certainly an applaudable reason — but not a solution that AA uses when flying Panasonic-enabled internationally-configured aircraft on domestic routes.
The other reason for providing free internet on 737 MAX flights involves entertainment. The new aircraft infamously don't have in-flight entertainment screens installed. Instead, passengers must "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) and stream free provided entertainment from the Wi-Fi system.
That's annoying enough on its own, but there's another catch: in order to stream entertainment to your phone, you need to have the American Airlines app downloaded. So far, passengers that didn't know they needed the AA app have been able to download it from the free ViaSat internet connection. But, that solution is coming to an end soon.
True to its word, American Airlines is keeping ViaSat free only until Gogo monthly subscribers can access it at no cost. And now we have a timeline when that'll happen. According to an internal memo:
While we've been offering free high speed Wi-Fi on our ViaSat equipped planes for a few months, the plan is to start charging for the service in March.
The good news is that simultaneously, the monthly Air-to-Ground (ATC) (1135 airplanes) Gogo monthly subscriptions will become valid on both Gogo and ViaSat aircraft.
This is good news for Gogo monthly subscribers, who will still be able to access the ViaSat internet for free — and soon with less competition for bandwidth. Meanwhile, this is bad news for any other passenger that gets stuck flying an AA 737 MAX. And it's especially bad news for anyone that doesn't know to download the AA app before takeoff to be able to stream entertainment.
For those passengers, it's going to mean an awfully long flight with no distraction from the tightness of 30-inch pitch and 24-inch wide bathrooms.
H/T: View From The Wing
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.