Southwest Airlines will begin offering free WiFi in October

In-flight internet access has fast become a battleground for airlines, and Southwest Airlines is starting to play some catch-up.

The carrier, which rose to fame for its lower cost pricing, announced plans to offer free Wi-Fi access to passengers starting next month. 

The only caveat? You'll need to be a member of Southwest's Rapid Rewards loyalty program (which requires entering some basic information like your name and address on the company's Website).

The airline is teaming with T-Mobile for the service, but membersPassengers won't need to be T-Mobile customers. The service will be available on more than 800 aircraft. Passengers previously had to pay $8 per flight to access the internet.

"This is part of our ongoing commitment to elevate the cabin experience, with free WiFi being just one of the many enhancements Customers will see in the months ahead," said Tony Roach, executive vice president and chief customer & brand officer at Southwest Airlines in a statement.

With Southwest's announcement, all six major carriers in the U.S. either offer or have committed to offering free in-flight WiFi. Southwest had hinted at this upgrade with trials of free internet in the past month.

Southwest's announcement comes just one day after JetBlue announced a partnership with Amazon's Project Kuiper to bring free, high-speed in-flight internet service to its passengers. In May, United Airlines announced it started testing Starlink's service, claiming it to be 50 times faster than current in-flight WiFi speeds. And in April, American Airlines announced it would offer free Wi-Fi to passengers beginning in January of 2026. (American had been a holdout on free Wi-Fi offers, previously charging as much as $20 to connect.)

Delta Air Lines began offering the amenity to members of its frequent flyer program on domestic flights last year, and smaller airlines, such as JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines also offer free access.