Overview
- CEO Robert Isom said American has spoken with Amazon about a potential LEO Wi‑Fi option and declined to detail the discussions.
- The airline plans to make onboard Wi‑Fi free next month, according to the report, increasing pressure on its current ViaSat service.
- Amazon recently rebranded Project Kuiper as Amazon Leo and expects roughly 180 satellites in orbit after a planned December 15 launch under FCC milestones that require 50% of the constellation by July 30, 2026.
- JetBlue has announced a move to Amazon’s service with initial installations targeted for 2027, suggesting American would likely start with limited trials no earlier than 2027 and scale later.
- Starlink is already operational and certified for inflight use and is being adopted by United and Alaska, while American still relies on ViaSat today.