Southwest Airlines is the latest carrier to offer free in-flight text messaging.
It recently dropped the $2 fee it previously charged and texting via iMessage and WhatsApp is now free on certain Wi-Fi equipped aircraft.
The airline will still continue to charge for full in-flight Wi-Fi access.
Other airlines such as Alaska Airlines and Delta offer free texting on flights but Wi-Fi remains a paid-for perk.
Delta Air Lines hopes to change that with CEO Ed Bastion recently saying the airline hopes to roll out completely free in-flight internet one day.
Bastion says in time, new wireless in-flight tech will radically reduce airlines’ operating and installation costs, making free for all Wi-Fi a possibility in the future.
The carrier is testing such a system for its new Airbus A220 single-aisle jets which will roll out to its domestic fleet soon.
