SpaceX’s Starlink is most recognizable for its use in war — most notably by the Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russia — but the satellite service has found a new frontier in the arena of in-flight entertainment. SpaceX and its owner, Elon Musk, have long said that they hoped to use Starlink for things off of the battlefield, and airlines have been taking notice of the satellite’s ability to provide in-flight Wi-Fi.
Several major carriers, including United Airlines, Air France and others have begun implementing Starlink on their planes to allow passengers to access the internet in the skies. And unlike the majority of current airplane internet packages, these airlines are offering Starlink’s Wi-Fi capabilities for free.
What airlines are getting involved with Starlink?
Eight airlines around the world have publicly announced deals with Starlink, according to Business Insider: Air Baltic, Air France, Air New Zealand, Hawaiian Airlines, JSX, Qatar Airways, United Airlines and Zip Air. Hawaiian was the first major airline to announce a partnership with the satellites, and in February 2024 “became the world’s first major carrier to deploy Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband internet,” the airline said.
However, Hawaiian only finished outfitting all of its airplanes with Starlink capabilities in September 2024, which gave other airlines time to hatch their own deals with SpaceX for the in-flight Wi-Fi. United became the second U.S.-based carrier to do so, and “will start testing Starlink’s fast Wi-Fi service in early 2025, with the first passenger flights expected later next year,” said The Verge. The airline will be installing Starlink “into all of its aircraft, more than 1,000 planes, over the next several years, and the service will be free for passengers.”
Air France also announced it will “introduce free Starlink Wi-Fi service onboard, replacing its current service and enhancing Wi-Fi connectivity for its customers” in 2025, said Simple Flying. Other airlines are expected to follow suit.
How will this change aviation?
The biggest change is that these airlines will offer Starlink Wi-Fi for free; Many airlines already offer in-flight Wi-Fi, but there is typically a charge. Airlines “offering free Wi-Fi to everyone on board with no strings attached is still a relative rarity,” Jason Rabinowitz, the head of content creation for travel technology company ATPCO, said to The Washington Post. Some airlines “offer free messaging plans, but airline passengers are still hesitant to pay for full internet access.”
Beyond offering Starlink for free, some in the aviation industry claim the satellite’s Wi-Fi will also work better. The “demand for bandwidth in the sky is not slowing, just like on the ground,” airline analyst Seth Miller said to the Post. Starlink will “deliver that for airlines with lower latency than the prior generation of satellites, further improving the connected passenger experience.”
What else can Starlink be used for?
Starlink can be used for “streaming, video calls, online gaming, remote working and more,” its website said. People are “using Starlink to gain access to education, health services and even communications support during natural disasters,” and it is often used in areas with low connectivity.
Controversy over the program remains, though, as “radio waves from Elon Musk’s growing network of satellites are blocking scientists’ ability to peer into the universe,” said the BBC. While Starlink can “provide broadband internet around the world, often to remote places,” scientists say “this comes at a cost.” This hasn’t stopped SpaceX, though, which is continually working on updates to Starlink.