Satellite-based internet will power inflight Wi-Fi on a lot more planes in 2027

Satellite-based internet will be offered on a lot more major airline flights soon.

American Airlines upgrading over 500 planes with Starlink internet

American Airlines announced today that it has tapped Starlink’s satellite internet service to power inflight Wi-Fi starting in Q1 2027.

The wireless internet upgrade will come to “more than 500 narrowbody aircraft” starting early next year.

“Starlink is widely regarded as the world’s most advanced satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting inflight streaming, online gaming, collaborative meeting tools and more,” American Airlines says. “With thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, Starlink can deliver multigigabit connectivity to aircraft using its Aero Terminal, which can support up to 1 Gbps per antenna.”

The Starlink-powered wireless internet upgrade is planned for “more than 500 Airbus aircraft, including new A321XLR and A321neo deliveries.”

American Airlines is only the latest airline to enter a deal with Starlink for inflight Wi-Fi service. United Airlines has already started deploying Starlink-based internet on planes. Southwest Airlines is launching Starlink-based internet this summer.

Meanwhile, Amazon recently bought Globalstar. This makes Amazon Apple’s emergency satellite service provider for iPhone and Apple Watch. Amazon’s Globalstar purchase bolsters its growing Amazon Leo offering.

Amazon will also provide satellite-based Wi-Fi on flights in the future.

Earlier this year, Delta and Amazon inked a deal to use Amazon Leo satellite internet for inflight Wi-Fi. JetBlue also tapped Amazon Leo as its satellite-based internet provider.

Related Starlink stories:

• iOS 18.3 includes Starlink satellite connectivity for select iPhone users
• These six iPhone apps work via T-Satellite if you’re on iOS 26
• SpaceX lands deal to likely purchase Cursor, a Claude Code and OpenAI Codex competitor

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