Key facts
- Over 1,400 commercial planes worldwide have been equipped with Starlink internet.
- More than 40 commercial carriers have announced deals for Starlink.
- Starlink offers free in-flight WiFi, though some airlines require loyalty program sign-ups.
- Qatar Airways achieved speeds of 215 megabits per second on a Starlink-equipped flight.
- Starlink uses a constellation of over 11,000 low-earth orbit satellites.
- Amazon's Project Kuiper and Viasat are competitors in the in-flight WiFi market.
Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service is rapidly becoming the preferred choice for in-flight WiFi among global airlines, with over 1,400 commercial planes already equipped and more than 40 carriers announcing deals. The service provides high-speed internet, with speeds on Qatar Airways flights peaking at 215 megabits per second, which is sufficient for lag-free video calls and faster than many terrestrial broadband services.
Starlink's advantage lies in its constellation of over 11,000 low-earth orbit satellites, enabling connectivity even over remote areas like oceans. This low-earth orbit positioning contributes to faster speeds compared to traditional geostationary satellites used by competitors like Viasat.
While Starlink is gaining traction, it faces competition from Amazon's Project Kuiper, which has launched approximately 400 satellites and has been adopted by airlines such as JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines. Viasat, a long-standing provider, utilizes fewer, higher-capacity geostationary satellites.
Travelers can often find out if their flight is equipped with Starlink during booking, through pre-flight communications, or via airline apps. Independent online tools like Starlink Flights also track equipped aircraft tail numbers, though accuracy can vary due to aircraft swaps and data discrepancies. Aviation tracking sites like FlightRadar24 can help identify a flight's tail number for cross-checking.