Passengers subscribed to American Airlines’ ‘AAAdvantage’ loyalty programme will soon be able to use miles to pay for Wi-Fi on board. By the summer travel season, all of the airline’s Viasat-equipped narrowbody aircraft should have the facility to offer this ability to unlock Wi-Fi in exchange for miles.

Once connected, customers can stay online for longer with gate-to-gate connectivity on most mainline aircraft. There will also be a free, ad-sponsored Wi-Fi service across all of the carrier’s Viasat domestic narrowbody aircraft.

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All Wi-Fi connectivity enhancements will be powered by a new design for the wireless portal that customers use inflight, rolling out throughout the year. The new portal design should make the passenger’s online experience better than previous incarnations.

Additionally, American and Intelsat will begin installation of high-speed Wi-Fi on around 500 dual-class regional aircraft.

American has recently signed a huge order for new aircraft from Boeing, airbus and Embraer.