T-Mobile has long prided itself on customer perks, frequently anchoring its ad campaigns around these “Un-carrier” benefits. Recently, however, the company has begun aggressively scaling back that value. The company has now started notifying customers about another benefit it’s restricting.
No more internet in the skies
T-Mobile Wi-Fi is no longer available on some flights. | Image by Reddit user Emanonco
In partnership with select airlines, T-Mobile provided free in-flight Wi-Fi to customers on Wi-Fi-enabled aircrafts. This allowed customers to text, send emails, browse websites, and work while flying.The roster of participating airlines is now shrinkingaccording to emails received by T-Mobile enterprise customers.
It’s not entirely clear whether the responsibility falls on T-Mobile, though, with the message sent to customers saying the update is due to a change in airline Wi-Fi programs.
Curiously, the email sent to T-Mobile customers was retroactively dated.
You may remain connected
T-Mobile marketed free in-flight Wi-Fi as being sponsored by the company. At the moment, Delta, Alaska, Hawaiian, and Southwest are still listed as airlines that support free Wi-Fi through loyalty programs. Many airlines have been expanding free Wi-Fi through their loyalty programs, which might be why T-Mobile has ended its partnership with them.
Customers would appreciate clarity, though, as T-Mobile hasn’t said which airlines still support free internet for its customers.
On flights where free Wi-Fi from T-Mobile is no longer an option, paid access may be available, but it can cost anywhere between $8 and $20. Some airlines also have their own Wi-Fi subscription plans, which are worth looking into for frequent flyers.
Leaving customers in the lurch
T-Mobile previously said that its customers frequently used free in-flight Wi-Fi, so the change is likely to let them down. Of course, if the partnership has been terminated by airlines, then T-Mobile may not be to blame.Regardless, for customers, this is another sign that T-Mobile is scaling back the value it offers.
Coming on top of similar changes
From taking away perks to dialing down deals and discounts, T-Mobile has slowly been turning itself into a premium carrier. There’s even chatter that the company is forcefully removing people from older, cheaper plans, though we are still waiting for confirmation on this.
Free internet is an amenity that most modern travelers can’t do without, so the blowback from this change might be severe.
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