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The Airlines Offering Starlink Wi-Fi and How To Access It on Your Next Flight

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Daniel Ross
Edited by: Michael Y. Park
& Keri Stooksbury
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Since Starlink first took to the skies in 2022, it has become the must-have internet service provider. Airlines that want to offer their passengers the best connectivity choose Starlink.

We’ve gone from having painfully slow pay-per-use connectivity to, in most cases, unlimited fast internet for free. But how?

This article takes a look at what Starlink is, which airlines offer it, and how it’s possible to be free for all.

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How Airlines Are Offering the Best-Ever Internet in the Sky for Free

Starlink is a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX, a company founded by Elon Musk.

By connecting to over 10,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, airlines can guarantee uninterrupted connectivity with no latency, even when flying over the middle of oceans and remote corners of the earth.

Passengers are seeing a switch from slow, unreliable, and often very expensive Wi-Fi to fast, stable, and free Starlink. According to aviation marketing intelligence company Valour Consultancy, it costs an airline around $170,000 per aircraft to install Starlink, and that’s not factoring in paying subscription fees of up to $12,500 per month per plane.

Despite the high cost, no airline currently charges passengers for Starlink Wi-Fi access. Instead, they are using it to persuade passengers to choose them rather than an airline that doesn’t offer Starlink.

Some airlines, however, require passengers to be enrolled in their loyalty programs to get free Starlink access. As loyalty programs are a great moneymaker for airlines, the more passengers they can get to sign up, the better, and getting free Starlink Wi-Fi is a great incentive.

Will Starlink be free forever? Who knows? But for now, we’ll make the most of it while we can.

Every airline with Starlink installed on its planes is currently offering free connectivity to all passengers. However, if you’re flying airlines such as Air France and United Airlines, you need to be signed up to their respective loyalty programs to connect.

airBaltic

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

Riga-headquartered airBaltic was the first airline in Europe to install Starlink on its entire fleet. Wherever you’re flying on one of the Latvian carrier’s Airbus A220s, you can count on having unlimited, superfast, free Wi-Fi for the duration of your flight.

Air France

Access: Air France-KLM Flying Blue membership

Air France was among the first European airlines to install Starlink Wi-Fi on its planes. The rollout started with its fleet of Embraers, which operate primarily on regional routes to and from its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). I recently tested it out myself and was impressed with the quality and speed of the connection. There’s also a high chance you’d have access to Starlink on its Airbus A220 and Airbus A350 aircraft.

Air France Starlink Wifi Speed
Download speeds were insane! Image Credit: Speedtest by Ookla

Aircraft that aren’t equipped with Starlink are likely to offer a paid, non-Starlink Wi-Fi service.

Interestingly, we’ve yet to hear from KLM, Air France’s partner airline, regarding Starlink.

Alaska Airlines

Access: Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards membership

Alaska Airlines has started flying Boeing 737 MAX aircraft equipped with Starlink connectivity. It plans to have completed the rollout, including on its new Europe-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliners, by the end of 2027.

British Airways

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

The British flag carrier operated its first Starlink-equipped passenger flight on March 19, 2026. The first of its aircraft to offer Starlink Wi-Fi is its subfleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, many of which operate flights between the U.S. and London.

Before the end of 2028, British Airways hopes to complete Starlink installation across its entire fleet of over 300 aircraft. Curiously, BA’s CityFlyer aircraft are not included in the rollout, despite flying routes popular with business travelers between London and other European financial hubs.

Emirates

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

Emirates is gradually installing Starlink Wi-Fi on its planes. In the last week of April 2026, its first Starlink-equipped Airbus A380 entered service. In the same week, 25 of its Boeing 777s were flying with Starlink connectivity. The completion date is set for mid-2027.

As for the airline’s fleet of brand-new Airbus A350s, they’re currently fitted with Viasat connectivity instead. However, the plan is to eventually install Starlink on these planes as well.

JSX

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

The first time I ever experienced Starlink Wi-Fi was onboard a JSX flight from Burbank (BUR) to Oakland (OAK) in California back in 2023. I remember being blown away that I could stream Netflix however many feet high in the sky.

Netflix onboard JSX flight with Starlink WiFi
It’s already been almost 3 years since I first used Starlink in the sky! Image Credit: Daniel Ross

The private-ish airline was the first in the world to operate Starlink-equipped planes.

JSX’s entire fleet of Embraer 145 and 135 aircraft is fitted out with Starlink. On April 27, 2025, the airline announced that it had also completed installing Starlink on its fleet of recently acquired ATR-600 planes.

Hawaiian Airlines

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

Hawaiian, now part of Alaska Airlines, was proud to be the first scheduled commercial carrier to debut Starlink in North America. Its entire fleet of Airbus A321neo and Airbus A330 aircraft is equipped with Starlink technology. However, the Honolulu-based carrier does not plan on offering Starlink on its interisland flights around Hawaii.

Qatar Airways

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

Among the 3 major Middle Eastern carriers, Qatar Airways was the first to install Starlink on its aircraft. Initially, the Doha-based carrier is installing the complimentary service on its Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

The airline’s website even mentions specific destinations that should benefit from Starlink. This includes all of Qatar’s U.S. routes.

Scandinavian Airlines

Access: SAS EuroBonus membership

After a successful test flight in January 2026, SAS started flying Starlink-equipped Airbus A320s. The carrier has yet to announce a date for when it will start installing Starlink on its wide-body aircraft, which operate the majority of the SAS routes to the U.S.

United Airlines

Access: United MileagePlus membership

Starlink is now available on some domestic United flights. The timeline for the Chicago-based carrier’s full fleet rollout is expected to conclude in a few years.

United will advise passengers if their flight will have Starlink when they check in using the airline’s app. Notably, United has also begun offering passengers free Wi-Fi on planes that aren’t equipped with Starlink.

United Starlink Flight Computer IFE Window Wide Angle
Trying out United’s Starlink. Image Credit: Nick Ellis

Starlink use on United flights comes with strict rules: You must use headphones when watching audio content, and you must use discretion when deciding what content to watch. Given the number of people who think it’s OK to use their phones at full volume without headphones in public, it will be interesting to see how United enforces these rules.

Virgin Atlantic

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

After being the first British airline to announce it would offer Starlink, Virgin was edged out by British Airways, which flew its first Starlink-equipped flight in March 2026 to Houston (IAH). Playing catch-up, Virgin expedited the rollout. On May 18, 2026, its first Starlink-equipped Airbus A350 flew from London (LHR) to New York (JFK).

The first aircraft in its fleet to boast Starlink connectivity are its Airbus A350-1000 planes. Next will be the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, followed by the Airbus A330neos. Fleetwide installation is expected to be complete by the end of 2027, ahead of rival British Airways.

WestJet

Access: WestJet Rewards membership

WestJet was an early adopter of Starlink among North American airlines. In fact, it was the first Canadian airline to start installation in February 2025. Over 100 of WestJet’s narrow-body Boeing 737 fleet feature Starlink connectivity, meaning you’re likely to stay connected on WestJet flights between Canada and the U.S. As for its wide-body Dreamliner fleet, Starlink installation is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

ZIPAIR

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

On February 25, 2026, ZIPAIR became the first airline in Asia to operate a commercial flight with Starlink, a notable achievement given that it is a low-cost carrier. ZIPAIR is a Japanese medium-to-long-haul, low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines. This suggests there’s a high chance JAL will also install Starlink on its aircraft soon.

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It’s almost weekly that we learn of another airline planning to install Starlink. Instead of repeating the same news over again, here’s a summary of which airlines are expected to offer Starlink in the not-too-distant future.

Copa Airlines

Access: To be determined

Panamanian Copa Airlines will be the first airline in Latin America to offer flights with Starlink connectivity. The airline made the announcement in early April and plans to have finished a fleetwide installation by October 2026. I took 7 Copa Airlines flights in April, none of which even had Wi-Fi, let alone Starlink.

Copa Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Panama Airport PTY
Copa Airlines fleet of Boeing 737 family aircraft will start being fitted with Starlink. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

Once Copa starts the rollout, travelers who need to stay connected in the air could be tempted to choose Copa over Avianca or LATAM, Copa’s main competitors in the region.

Korean Air

Access: Complimentary (no membership required)

The Korean flag carrier, part of the Hanjin Group, is set to launch its complimentary Starlink service in July 2026. As Air Busan, Air Seoul, Asiana, and Jin Air are also part of the Hanjin Group, these airlines will also offer Starlink access to their passengers.

To start with, the airline group will prioritize the installation on its long-haul Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 777-300 aircraft operated by Asiana and Korean Air. Both airlines’ Airbus A380s are notable exceptions.

The first narrow-body jets to be fitted with Starlink technology will be the Boeing 737-8s belonging to Jin Air.

Lufthansa

Access: To be determined

At the start of 2026, the Lufthansa Group announced it would introduce Starlink Wi-Fi. This includes the European airlines Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss, Eurowings, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, and SWISS. The first of the group’s 850 aircraft is expected to be flying with Starlink in the third quarter of 2026. The completion date for fleetwide installation is scheduled for before 2029.

Hot Tip:

Eurowings will become the first low-cost airline in Europe to have Starlink.

Singapore Airlines

Access: KrisFlyer membership required for premium economy and economy passengers, complimentary access for business class, first class, and Singapore Airlines PPS Club members

Singapore Airlines was the first full-service Asian airline to announce it would adopt Starlink. Unlike most other airlines, Singapore Airlines plans to install high-speed Internet service only on part of its fleet, specifically, long-range and ultra-long-range Airbus A350s, as well as the Airbus A380s. The rest of its wide-body jets, along with its narrow-body fleets, will go without.

The airline’s first Starlink-equipped flight is scheduled for early 2027, with completion planned for before the end of 2029.

Singapore Airlines is also the first airline to specify different access depending on the type of ticket or status a passenger holds.

Final Thoughts

Starlink is one of the biggest game changers for passengers in terms of inflight experience. What started with just a few airlines is rapidly becoming a trend that carriers feel compelled to join to stay relevant.

In as few as 5 years, I predict that every large commercial airline will offer Starlink or an equivalent such as Viasat. Once Starlink is more common than not, that’s when airlines could start looking at ways to charge passengers, like tiered access or subscriptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which airlines offer Starlink Wi-Fi to passengers?

The list of airlines offering Starlink is quickly getting longer. Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Hawaiian, Scandinavian Airlines, Qatar Airways, United, Virgin, WestJet, and ZIPAIR are among the airlines currently flying planes with Starlink.

How much does it cost to use Starlink when flying?

No airline is currently charging passengers to use Starlink Wi-Fi during their flights.

Is Starlink faster than 5G?

Starlink is incredibly fast, with download speeds of 500Mbps or more.

Which U.S. airlines have Starlink?

Among U.S. airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JSX, and United currently offer Starlink.

Daniel Ross's image

About Daniel Ross

Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points Guy, and more.

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