--- title: "Southwest Wi-Fi: free tiers, prices, streaming and how to connect" url: "https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/southwest-airlines" description: "Southwest WiFi is free for Rapid Rewards members thanks to T-Mobile, with Starlink coming fleetwide. Prices, free messaging, streaming and how to connect." --- Airline · United States # Southwest Wi-Fi Southwest WiFi is free for Rapid Rewards members, thanks to T-Mobile, and Southwest is fitting Starlink across its fleet. On select aircraft, non-members can buy internet for $8 per device, subject to availability. Provider [Starlink](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/starlink-aviation) Network `Southwest® WiFi` Free Rapid Rewards members get free WiFi for the whole flight, thanks to T-Mobile, whatever their mobile carrier. **Checked 1 November 2026.** Prices and policies as of November 2026. ## Who provides it - **[Starlink](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/starlink-aviation)** Being fitted across the fleet. Southwest expects to finish in fall 2027. It doesn’t name the system on aircraft without Starlink. ## What’s free - **Rapid Rewards members** get free WiFi for the whole flight, thanks to T-Mobile, whatever their mobile carrier. It started on 24 October 2025. Joining Rapid Rewards is free, before or during the flight. - Messaging through iMessage and WhatsApp requires free member Wi-Fi or a purchased connection. Set up the apps before boarding. - Free movies, TV and live TV stream to your own device on select planes. Southwest says its entertainment portal is unavailable on Starlink aircraft. As of November 2026. ## Prices | Plan | Price | |---|---| | Internet, per device, takeoff to landing | US$8 | Southwest lists paid access for non-members on select aircraft, subject to availability and price changes. Service may not last the whole flight. As of November 2026. ## Streaming and calls Southwest says Starlink brings WiFi “so fast it feels like home”. It also says it may block some high-bandwidth apps, websites and video-conferencing services. Free live TV may cut out on international flights because of licensing. ## VPNs Southwest doesn’t publish a VPN rule. ## Which planes have it WiFi is only on WiFi-enabled designated aircraft, and free entertainment only on select planes. Southwest flies 803 Boeing 737s. It is adding Starlink to the entire fleet and expects to finish in fall 2027. ## How to connect 1. Open **Settings** and turn on airplane mode. 2. Turn on Wi-Fi and choose the `Southwest® WiFi` network. 3. Tap **Access the portal**, or type `SouthwestWiFi.com` into your browser. 4. Sign in with your Rapid Rewards account for free WiFi, or join there. ## On board with Kilobat Kilobat is a Mac menu-bar app that shows what each app sends and holds back what can wait. On a plane: - **The sign-in page.** When it doesn’t open by itself, the menu bar says **This Wi-Fi wants you to sign in**, with **Open sign-in page**. Turn your VPN on after you’ve signed in. - **Mark it metered.** macOS treats plane Wi-Fi as unlimited. Mark it **Metered** in Kilobat’s Wi-Fi menu or with `kilobat networks cost metered`, and Kilobat skips its own speed tests. If automatic switching is enabled, it switches to Travel. - **Updates wait.** With Pro, paused updaters enabled and the network filter on, macOS Software Update, App Store downloads, Google Updater and Microsoft AutoUpdate wait for an unmetered network. The apps keep working. - **See what’s using it.** Every app’s upload and download, live in the menu bar, so a messaging-only plan isn’t spent on a sync you forgot. - **Send later.** A big upload, such as Dropbox syncing a folder, shows as a row with its speed. With Pro, **Send later** can hold it until you’re on unmetered Wi-Fi again, for up to eight hours while Kilobat is open. - **Know what’s slow.** Health shows latency and loss, and with Pro their history through the flight. Those measurements can help you investigate a slow connection. When Slack or Zoom won’t load, [Is it them or me?](https://kilobat.app/is-it-down) reads the service’s status page. More in [what to do before you board](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi#before-you-board). [Download for Mac ↓](https://kilobat.app/downloads/Kilobat-1.31.1.dmg?via=site) ``` brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat ``` ## Questions **Do I need T-Mobile for free Southwest WiFi?** No. T-Mobile sponsors it, but it is free for all Rapid Rewards members on any carrier. **Does every Southwest plane have Starlink?** Not yet. Southwest expects to finish the fleetwide rollout in fall 2027. ## Sources - [Southwest: Inflight entertainment and internet](https://www.southwest.com/inflight-entertainment-portal/) - [Southwest: Free WiFi for Rapid Rewards members](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/free-wifi-for-rapid-rewards-members) - [Southwest: Onboard experience and Wi-Fi](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/article/onboard-experience-and-wifi) - [Southwest: WiFi](https://www.southwest.com/wifi) - [Southwest: Free WiFi for all Rapid Rewards members with T-Mobile (September 2025)](https://investors.southwest.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1892/free-wifi-in-the-sky-southwest-airlines-partners-with-t-mobile-to-offer-free-inflight-wifi-for-all-rapid-rewards-members) - [Southwest: More to love from Rapid Rewards, Starlink rollout (October 2026)](https://investors.southwest.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1946/more-to-love-from-rapid-rewards-southwest-airlines-expands-rewards-redemption-and-member-benefits) - [Southwest: Corporate fact sheet (as of 31 December 2025)](https://www.swamedia.com/vforcesite/cms/delivery/media/MC5SHG3HNX2FFRVLRCQTZRDPWU7E?channelId=0apHu000000IWrs&language=en_US&version=11.1) Checked on 1 November 2026. ## More airlines - [Alaska Airlines](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/alaska-airlines): Providers and aircraft availability - [JetBlue](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/jetblue): Providers and aircraft availability - [Delta Air Lines](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/delta-air-lines): Providers and aircraft availability - [American Airlines](https://kilobat.app/in-flight-wifi/american-airlines): Providers and aircraft availability