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American Airlines picks SpaceX's Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi on more than 500 planes

American Airlines picks SpaceX's Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi on more than 500 planes

Tech infrastructurecloudmobilehardware CNBC
American Airlines has selected SpaceX's Starlink to provide in-flight Wi-Fi on over 500 Airbus narrow-body planes starting early next year, following other major carriers like United and Southwest.
What: American Airlines will install Starlink on approximately 500 of its narrow-body Airbus aircraft, such as the A321neo, beginning in early 2027. This decision follows American's evaluation of both Starlink and Amazon Leo. Other major airlines including United, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines have already chosen Starlink, while Delta Air Lines announced in March that it will use Amazon Leo starting in 2028.
Why it matters: The airline industry is rapidly upgrading in-flight connectivity, signaling a competitive push to attract high-spending customers with faster, more reliable, and often free Wi-Fi, which increasingly uses satellite internet services.
Takeaway: If you frequently fly American Airlines on their Airbus fleet, expect significantly improved internet speeds and availability from early 2027.
Original article

Starlink scored another win for in-flight Wi-Fi with American Airlines.

The SpaceX service has already won contracts with United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others.

American said it would put the service on hundreds of narrow-body aircraft, like the Airbus A321neo.

American Airlines plans to outfit more than 500 of its narrow-body aircraft with Starlink, handing another win to Elon Musk's SpaceX unit that has made inroads with major carriers for in-flight Wi-Fi.

American was evaluating Starlink and Amazon Leo as recently as March for the service.

The airline announced Tuesday it would install Starlink on about 500 of its narrow-body Airbus planes, like the A321neo, starting early next year. American spokesman said the carrier doesn't have immediate plans to change providers on its Boeing fleet, which uses a mix of Viasat and Panasonic.

American in January rolled out free in-flight Wi-Fi for members of its frequent flyer program, following United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and others.

Delta in March said it would use Amazon Leo for in-flight Wi-Fi for hundreds of jets starting in 2028. United, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which merged with Hawaiian Airlines in 2024, have selected Starlink.

Carriers are battling for higher-spending customers, including by upgrading once-slow, expensive and clunky in-flight internet to higher speeds. They have also been weighing other revenue streams, like personalized ads for travelers.

SpaceX, meanwhile, is preparing to go public in what's likely to be a record IPO next month. Its connectivity unit, which includes Starlink, posted revenue of $11.39 billion last year, making up 61% of total sales, SpaceX said in a filing for its initial public offering earlier this month.

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