{"id":249704,"date":"2026-07-02T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/02\/fast-free-wi-fi-hiccup-slow-service-outages-plague-some-airlines-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:00:13","slug":"fast-free-wi-fi-hiccup-slow-service-outages-plague-some-airlines-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/02\/fast-free-wi-fi-hiccup-slow-service-outages-plague-some-airlines-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Fast, free Wi-Fi’ hiccup: Slow service, outages plague some airlines – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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You know that fast, free inflight Wi-Fi your airline promised? If you’ve been on a flight lately and found it to be … well, kind of slow … you’re not alone.<\/p>\n

The Wi-Fi provider that supplies on-board internet to several of the nation’s biggest airlines admits its service has been a bit sluggish recently as more customers than ever log on, stream videos and eat up precious bandwidth.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, passengers taking long flights to Europe and Asia have reported prolonged internet outages, lately, even when paying for the service.<\/p>\n

And even more flyers have run into a frustrating reality: Some planes now have faster Wi-Fi than they enjoy at home \u2014 but on others, the service barely works at all.<\/p>\n

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American Airlines Airbus A321 takes off. SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These are the predictable growing pains as airlines’ race to make logging on at 30,000 feet the norm on every flight.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

And it’s something to keep in mind before your next trip.<\/p>\n

A speedbump in the ‘fast, free’ rollout<\/h2>\n

Trying to use internet while on a flight used to be a frustrating and expensive experience for passengers.<\/p>\n

But over the last few years, the technology has improved rapidly. Along the way, U.S. carriers have moved to ditch Wi-Fi fees,<\/a><\/span> opting instead to dangle complimentary access<\/a><\/span> as a prime new perk for any passenger with a loyalty program membership.<\/p>\n

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ZACH GRIFF\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not surprisingly, though, bandwidth hiccups have popped up as a deluge of flyers unburdened by $10 or $20 fees have connected multiple devices, streamed YouTube and scrolled TikTok while in the air.<\/p>\n

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Viasat satellite issue snarls web surfing<\/h3>\n

In recent months, data “supply and demand” constraints have plagued Viasat, a key Wi-Fi provider for American, Delta, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and others.<\/p>\n

A big reason: the company ran into problems with a satellite it launched into orbit in 2023, which was supposed to help shoulder the data load of multiple large airlines opening up their Wi-Fi to virtually all passengers.<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately, we got caught in a little bit of a spot where there wasn’t as much capacity as we had planned to be on orbit,” Don Buchman, president of aviation at Viasat, told TPG. “It created a short-term problem.”<\/p>\n

Frustration for flyers<\/h3>\n

Customers have noticed the recent slowdown. One loyal American flyer commenting<\/a><\/span> on a recent TPG story said he wished the airline’s internet paywall was still in place.<\/p>\n

“They opened it up to anyone,” he said, “and on my last seven or eight flights, the service has been absolute garbage.”<\/p>\n

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An American Airlines plane at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA). SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’ve experienced the spottiness firsthand on some recent American and Delta flights \u2014 a shift from what was previously pretty reliable service that allowed me to easily work from the sky.<\/p>\n

‘Light at the end of the tunnel’<\/h3>\n

Viasat says it’s confident things are about to get a lot better.<\/p>\n

In April, the company launched a new satellite that will come online and double its data capacity \u2014 meaning way more bandwidth for passengers \u2014 by the end of the summer.<\/p>\n

“It’ll be back to where it was and better,” Buchman said. “There’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel.”<\/p>\n

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Viasat’s new satellite launching in April. MANUEL MAZZANTI\/NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a statement to TPG, Delta said it was “excited for soon-to-come upgrades” that will “unlock expanded service across the Americas” beginning in August.<\/p>\n

Long-haul Wi-Fi woes<\/h2>\n

But the Wi-Fi hang-ups go well beyond the Americas.<\/p>\n

Passengers on long-haul flights have run into significant internet outages in recent months.<\/p>\n

In particular, some American and United passengers have reported virtually nonfunctional service on some transoceanic flights, especially on planes with older Wi-Fi tech from Panasonic \u2014 which supplies connectivity to many of the two airlines’ big twin-aisle jets.<\/p>\n

The complaints have surfaced across Reddit<\/a><\/span> and other online forums \u2014 and hit TPG staffers, too.<\/p>\n

Last week, TPG founder Brian Kelly reported he had “horribly slow and unreliable internet” on a United flight to Rome.<\/p>\n

That mirrors my own experience: On a 17-hour United flight from San Francisco to Singapore in April, the Wi-Fi was effectively unusable.<\/a><\/span> It wasn’t much better on an American flight from Europe the following month, where internet access cost $35.<\/p>\n

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SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those are long stretches in the air with little to no connectivity, especially at a time when passengers increasingly expect they’ll be connected while in the air.<\/p>\n

Asked about the recent issues, Panasonic did not address the recent outages. Instead, the company simply said it was developing next-generation satellite service that would help it meet “the passenger expectations of tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

“This is our principal area of focus,” a spokesperson told TPG.<\/p>\n

United, meanwhile, said it was “actively engaged in conversations with Panasonic to address these issues.”<\/p>\n

All-in on Starlink<\/h2>\n

Airlines are making moves, in the meantime.<\/p>\n

United,<\/a><\/span> Alaska Airlines<\/a><\/span> and Southwest<\/a><\/span> are each in the process of upgrading their Wi-Fi tech with Starlink, which at the moment is clearly (and reliably) the fastest internet in the sky.<\/p>\n

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ZACH GRIFF\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Notably, United last week said it was accelerating plans to bring those Starlink satellites to its widebody airplanes, which should offer a major connectivity boost on long-haul flights.<\/p>\n

American recently announced its own Starlink plans<\/a><\/span>, while Delta<\/a><\/span> and JetBlue<\/a><\/span> have said they’ll upgrade many of their jets in the coming years with future Starlink-like service from Amazon.<\/p>\n

Viasat, for its part, has longer-term upgrades in the works that the company says will significantly improve its Wi-Fi service on carriers in the coming years \u2014 beyond the boost that’s already expected to come next month.<\/p>\n

Will the Wi-Fi work on your flight, or not?<\/h2>\n

Still, all of those innovations take time \u2014 not to mention countless hours of work from airlines’ maintenance teams.<\/p>\n

Best bet in the meantime?<\/p>\n

Dial it back to 2019: download that podcast before your flight, just in case. Load up the tablet with a movie. And let the boss know you could be out of pocket when the plane pushes back.<\/p>\n

Sure, it’s possible your Wi-Fi might be better than what you have at home. It’s also possible it’ll be really spotty.<\/p>\n

Because while the inflight internet renaissance is here, it’s also still very much a work in progress.<\/p>\n

Related reading:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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