The Fight Over In-Flight Wi-Fi Is Heating Up
4m | Oct 7, 2026📩 Join the newsletter: https://go.departuredigest.com/subscribe
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If you're still paying for in-flight Wi-Fi, there's a decent chance you don't have to. JetBlue offers it free to everyone. Delta, Southwest, and American offer it to loyalty members, and United and Alaska do on Starlink-equipped planes. Your frequent flyer number is the new Wi-Fi password, so set up the account and add it to your reservation before you're trying to log in on your flight.
Free Wi-Fi is quickly becoming standard, so airlines are competing on speed. United is installing Starlink and isn't being subtle about it, courting Delta and American elites with a special status match. If you keep ending up on United anyway, it's a pretty easy trial run.
The connectivity conversation doesn't stop when you land. If you're heading abroad, a VPN can help with streaming and hotel Wi-Fi. And if logging into seven different apps on a hotel TV sounds annoying, we share why you might want to pack a Roku on your next trip.
Explore our VPN guide: https://www.departuredigest.com/p/vpn-for-travel
Timeline
0:00 Start Here
0:15 In-Flight Wi-Fi Is Having a Moment
2:37 Using a VPN Abroad
3:59 Bring Your Roku on Your Next Trip
4:51 Sign-Off
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