Southwest Airlines spending $2B on faster Wi-Fi, bigger overhead bins

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will spend $2 billion on customer perks such as faster wireless internet, larger overhead bins for carry-on luggage and USB plugs at every seat for charging devices as it prepares for a travel boom.

Southwest Airlines began testing some upgraded Wi-Fi hardware this month that allows more customers to access faster internet connections on planes. The test is on just 50 planes and will increase internet bandwidth onboard by tenfold. Now the company says it will have the enhanced internet on 350 planes by the end of October.

“Top of our list is giving our customers reliable connections in the air to those things that are important and accessible to them on the ground,” said Ryan Green, Southwest’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

The moves come as Southwest and other airlines plan for a pivotal summer after two-plus years of up and down profits and losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines are expecting passenger numbers near records, even though Southwest and other carriers have cut flights due to a shortage of employees.

The new perks could be needed to keep customers happy as airfares rise along with spikes in prices for other travel needs, such as hotels and rental cars.

The new, bigger overhead bins will come on Boeing 737 Max jets with deliveries starting this fall, the company said. It didn’t address whether bag sizes or weight limits will be increased, but larger bins would theoretically give more room for luggage.

The power ports on seats should also come with those new 737 Max jets set to be delivered early next year.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. In-seat USB plugs come to Southwest Airlines starting early next year.