Southwest Promises Three Times More Bandwidth for Inflight Wi-Fi

Tired of slow inflight Wi-Fi, or worse, no Wi-Fi at all? Southwest has you covered. Or will have you covered, when its newly announced upgrade program is in place.

By the end of next year, all 700-plus Southwest aircraft will feature onboard Wi-Fi. That’s not the case today, as the carrier’s B737-300 Classic planes lack inflight connectivity. Those aircraft are scheduled to be phased out by mid-2017, to be replaced by the latest-generation B737-8 (MAX) jets.

Southwest promises not only more Wi-Fi but better Wi-Fi as well. “Customers will be able to browse the Internet at increased speeds as a result of an expected bandwidth increase of at least three times more than what they currently experience, with an additional expected bandwidth increase in mid-2018. Connectivity speeds are expected to increase, and Southwest plans to develop relationships with content providers to bring even more exclusive content to its Customers while on flights.”

Pricing will remain the same as it is today, with Internet access available for $8 a day.

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After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.