Starlink Expands, 2 FAA Updates, JetBlue Grows in Colombia, and More Airline News

A lot happened in the airline world in the past 7 days.

Fast, free Wi-Fi is spreading, JetBlue added another Colombian route, and Air India’s incoming CEO laid out his plans. Here’s what you may have missed this week.

Starlink Keeps Spreading Across Fleets

Free, high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi is landing on more aircraft. British Airways has resumed its rollout after a roughly 4-month pause over the summer, and passengers now report the service on 6 of its 18 Airbus A350s, with its 787-8 fleet nearly complete. The airline still plans to equip all 300 of its aircraft by March 2028.

Here in the U.S., American Airlines may be thinking bigger. Its Starlink commitment originally covered more than 500 Airbus narrowbodies, with installs starting in early 2027. Now, per a report from JonNYC, American appears to be weighing Starlink for its Boeing 737, 777, and 787 fleets as well. American hasn’t confirmed anything on this topic, so treat this as unofficial. If accurate, it would finally bring fast connectivity to long-haul international flights, where it’s a glaring gap today.

JetBlue Adds Barranquilla, Colombia

JetBlue launched new daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Barranquilla (BAQ) on October 1. Barranquilla joins Medellín and Cartagena in JetBlue’s Colombian network, with Cali (CLO) set to follow later this month for 4 planned destinations in all.

Flights use the A320 with free Fly-Fi, and the route adds competition against Avianca. To mark the launch, JetBlue is offering one-way fares from $134 in Main and $234 in EvenMore.

KLM Receives Its First A350

KLM received its first Airbus A350 this week, a -900 model that will operate its first route between Amsterdam (AMS) and Toronto (YYZ). Other planned destinations include Montreal (YUL), Nairobi (NBO), and the Tanzanian triangle of Dar es Salaam (DAR), Zanzibar (ZNZ), and Kilimanjaro (JRO).

Air India’s New CEO Sets Priorities

Incoming CEO Tewolde Gebremariam used his first companywide town hall to focus on 4 themes for Air India: safety, reliability, profitability, and disciplined growth.

The message is understandable. Air India’s consolidated net loss widened to around INR 22,238 (about $2.3 billion) in FY2026, up from roughly INR 10,859 the year before, and the airline is operating under heavy scrutiny after the June 2025 AI171 crash. With more than 300 aircraft in service and around 600 on order, the task now is to make the bigger airline reliable and financially sustainable.

FAA Pushes on Hiring and Modernization

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it exceeded its FY2026 goal, hiring 2,235 air traffic controller trainees, its most ever. A gamer-focused recruiting campaign drew more than 12,000 applicants in 24 hours, and the agency is on track to hire at least 8,900 through 2028.

Separately, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Senator Eric Schmitt are pushing the Modern Skies Act, a proposed $30 billion investment to modernize air traffic control, replace aging infrastructure, and upgrade airports, building on $12.5 billion already committed.

Blade Relaunches Semi-Private Flights

Blade is bringing back semi-private jet service between New York and South Florida. The new BladeOne flies from Westchester (HPN) to Miami-Opa Locka (OPF) and West Palm Beach (DJT), operated by Aero on a 16-seat Embraer E135 in 1-1 seating. The seasonal service runs November 19 through May 2, 2027, with Starlink Wi-Fi onboard. It slots in against JSX, though Blade doesn’t offer a frequent-flyer program.

Other Airline News

• Delta is building its own advertising and media network, hiring a former Deloitte and Digitas leader to run it, following United’s move into the space.
• United Airlines and Aperture Cellars unveiled Air and Vine, billed as the first wine blended in-flight at 35,000 feet. The custom Cabernet Sauvignon debuts in United Polaris business class on select international routes in 2028.
• The British government wants to end what it calls “rip-off fees,” which will include allowing passengers to fix spelling errors in their name on a ticket at no charge and parents sitting with a child (under age 14) without any charge or seat selection fees.

Final Thoughts

From new planes and new routes to internet updates and announcements from governments in the U.S. and the U.K., there was quite a spectrum of announcements this week across aviation. As always, we’ll be back next week with more airline news.