A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral in November 2023. Fort Worth-based American Airlines announced Tuesday that it would install Starlink internet service on more than 500 aircraft starting early next year.
Malcolm Denemark/Associated Press
American Airlines is leaping into the Starlink arms race, with the Fort Worth carrier saying Tuesday that it will install the premium internet service on select narrowbody aircraft starting early next year.
American, which operates its central hub at DFW International Airport, said it plans to update its internet service on more than 500 Airbus aircraft, including new A321XLR and A321neo deliveries. The airline told The Dallas Morning News that its Boeing fleet, including the widebody planes it frequently uses to service long-haul international corridors, would not be receiving Starlink retrofits at this time.
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Starlink uses satellite constellation technology in a low Earth orbit to bring high-speed internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more, according to the company’s website. The service is operated by SpaceX, the Texas-based aerospace company founded by Elon Musk.
Starlink offers more benefits than existing satellite Wi-Fi since it sits in a lower orbit in space. Starlink orbits the Earth at about 340 miles and covers the entire globe, cutting the latency time — the data time between the user and satellite — to about 25 milliseconds, according to its website.
In comparison, most satellite internet service is powered by single, geostationary satellites that orbit the Earth from more than 21,700 miles away, according to Starlink. The latency for such service is higher, making it more difficult to support data-heavy activities such as streaming and online gaming, Starlink says.
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While the exact number of Starlink satellites in orbit is unknown, it numbers in the thousands. As recently as last year, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines described the service as a “constellation of more than 9,000 satellites.” Some independent websites that track the technology’s development indicate that there are more than 10,000 satellites in orbit.
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“We are proud to bring Starlink on board American Airlines, delivering fast and reliable internet to passengers and crew,” Vice President of Starlink Enterprise Sales at SpaceX Jason Fritch said in a statement. “Whether traveling for leisure or business, Starlink enables a fully connected experience gate to gate, making every flight smoother and more enjoyable.”
The switch to Starlink aligns American with rivals Southwest Airlines and Chicago-based United Airlines, both of which are installing Starlink on aircraft. Southwest expects to have Starlink available on more than 300 aircraft by the end of this year, it previously said.
Delta Air Lines strayed from the pack when it announced recently that it was partnering with Amazon Leo to bring high-speed internet to its customers.
American and Southwest currently offer complimentary in-flight internet to members of their frequent flyer programs.
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“Starlink’s high speed and low latency make the Wi-Fi more reliable, which matters when customers are trying to load pages, join real-time collaboration tools or stay connected consistently throughout a flight,” Heather Garboden, American’s chief customer officer, said in a statement.
“We are excited to bring an at-home level of Wi-Fi experience to our narrowbody fleet, enabling our customers to work, game, stream and scroll endlessly.”