• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, July 2, 2013

Southwest Airlines is making its live in-flight TV service free. The carrier is distributing it via WiFi, making it available to customers with iOS and other Internet-enabled devices on flights with WiFi availability.

Southwest had been charging $5 for live TV.

Dish Network is the provider, as it is on Delta. Live TV on-board began 13 years ago, when DirecTV began offering service on JetBlue, where it remains free. In contrast, United has DirecTV free in first class when available, but up to $7.99 in the economy section.

Dish’s “Boston Guys,” who appear in an ad campaign with distinct New England accents, gave each passenger on a Southwest flight a free iPad 2 as a promotional stunt. For Dish, the chance to watch TV on mobile devices could serve as a promotional platform for its Dish Anywhere offering.  

Dish is engineering a promotion: New customers who sign up for service that includes its Hopper DVR can receive points on Southwest’s rewards program.

Southwest’s TV service includes local stations from New York, Bravo, Fox News and NFL Network.