For the past week, Southwest Airlines has been offering a limited-time free perk to all of its Rapid Rewards members on all flights, testing a possible permanent change. However, that perk will be coming to an end this week as the trial period ends.
Southwest Airlines has made a number of changes over the past several weeks, ending its “bags fly free” policy as well as its open-seating plan.
As the airline continues to evolve and compete with other airlines, it has spent the past week testing another change.
Southwest Airlines Tests Free WiFi
Beginning on Friday, Aug. 8, Southwest Airlines began offering free in-flight WiFi to all of its Rapid Rewards members on all of its flights. Since a Rapid Rewards membership is free, this effectively offered free WiFi to anyone aboard the aircraft.
This move from Southwest comes as airlines throughout the country are moving toward offering free in-flight WiFi.
JetBlue has notably offered complimentary WiFi for years. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are already moving forward with offering fast and free internet service to all passengers.
American Airlines, meanwhile, recently announced plans to offer free WiFi to all customers beginning in 2026.
Last Day For Free WiFi
While Southwest has been testing offering free WiFi on its flights for the past week, that test will come to an end with the final day for passengers to enjoy free in-flight Internet access coming on Thursday, Aug. 14.
“We will use the findings from both tests to enhance our Wi-Fi offering and continue to strengthen what we offer customers to meet their needs,” the airline said this week, according to The Points Guy.
Free WiFi in the Future?
While this limited-time perk is coming to an end, there is a chance that Southwest Airlines eventually decides to offer complimentary WiFi permanently.
As the airline began this limited-time offer last week, Southwest issued a statement that seemed to indicate it was using this week as a trial before attempting to roll out free WiFi permanently.
“Before we consider offering free inflight Wi-Fi beyond this limited offer, we need to ensure a quality product, and tests like this provide valuable information and insights,” Southwest told The Points Guy on Friday.
We’ll have to see whether or not the airline decides to move forward with complimentary WiFi access on all of its flights at some point in the future, especially as it continues to grow and attempt to compete with other airlines.
