Elon Musk's Starlink just got another airline deal after partnering with United for free in-flight Wi-Fi
Air France on Thursday said it has signed a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide customers with in-flight Wi-Fi, following similar deals with United Airlines (UAL) and Hawaiian Airlines (ALK).
The airline said it will begin equipping its aircraft with Starlink’s technology next summer. During that time, Air France said it will still offer service on planes that have not yet been given Starlink’s tech, including a free “Message pass” for loyalty program members and a paid offer for-non members.
Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX, has been growing in popularity among carriers recently. Besides Air France, the latest company to sign a deal for its services was United Airlines, which aims to use Starlink’s satellites for high-speed internet on all of more than 1,000 planes next year. It also has deals with smaller carriers like “hop-on jet service” JSX, Qatar Airways, and Air New Zealand (ANZFF).
Hawaiian Airlines, which was officially acquired by Alaska Airlines in the industry’s biggest merger in almost a decade earlier this month, on Tuesday said it is now offering Starlink’s Wi-Fi for free to customers on its Airbus-operated flights between Hawaii and the continental U.S., Asia, and Oceania. The carrier in February became the first to debut Starlink’s services on one of its jets.
“Becoming the first major airline to offer travelers Starlink at no cost is a remarkable achievement for our team, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response from guests who have been enjoying our industry-leading connectivity onboard,” Evan Nomura, Hawaiian’s director of inflight entertainment and connectivity, said in a statement.
Although Hawaiian was the first to sign up, the United deal is by far the bigger deal. That partnership alone almost doubled Starlink’s backlog of in-flight Wi-Fi orders, according to Nick Galano, SpaceX’s director of Starlink aviation sales and partnerships.
“Very excited that we have about 2,500 aircraft under contract now, bringing what was effectively a startup to now what we think is a growing experience that’s going to resonate with all the passengers and the airlines worldwide,” Galano said on Sept. 17 during the World Space Business Week conference in Paris.
The company launched Starlink Aviation in October 2022 — a slate of products that offers satellite internet to aircraft. The satellite network provides internet connection to about 100 countries using the 6,300 satellites it currently has in orbit.
