Airplane Wi-Fi has long been slow and balky. But airlines are racing to change that.
Hoping that faster, more reliable internet access will help them attract and retain customers, many carriers are upgrading their planes to use Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. On Thursday, American Airlines said it would outfit more than 1,000 planes with Starlink.
But Delta Air Lines has chosen not to go with Starlink, which has upset Mr. Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive.
Mr. Musk said last month that Delta’s chief executive would “lose his job” for choosing Amazon’s satellite service, and he earlier attacked the top executive of Ryanair, the European carrier, for snubbing Starlink, too. This week, he said Indian oligarchs were blocking Starlink there, which he called a “a crime against the people of India.”
From fee to free.
Lufthansa was the first commercial airline to offer in-flight internet access in 2004, using a service developed by Boeing. But Boeing shut down the project just two years later.
Other providers filled the void, and U.S. airlines started to offer Wi-Fi in the late 2000s. But few passengers used those services, which were often expensive, slow and unreliable. Over the years, the costs started to fall.
In 2023, Delta eliminated Wi-Fi fees for members of the company’s loyalty program. JetBlue Airways had been offering free internet access for years — but Delta kicked off an industry shift.
Why is Wi-Fi so important?
Many airlines offer free internet service to passengers who sign up for frequent flier programs. The programs allow the companies to collect more information about travelers and to encourage them to buy more tickets and sign up for credit cards.
At an industry conference last month, Robert Isom, the chief executive of American, said the airline was expanding its loyalty program at record rates. “A lot of that is driven by the free Wi-Fi,” he said.
Executives also say they are switching to Starlink because the earlier internet services they offered were subpar. This summer, executives at Alaska Airlines said customer satisfaction was about 20 percent higher on flights with Starlink.
But some industry experts say that most travelers pick airlines for many reasons and that Wi-Fi is not the most important one.
“People who are going to fly a lot in the future are going to self-select and gradually find the right program that fits best for them,” said Jay Sorensen, who runs IdeaWorksCompany, an aviation industry consulting firm. “You can’t really create that.”
That doesn’t mean Wi-Fi is irrelevant. Like soft drinks and snacks, internet access has become an expectation among passengers, Mr. Sorensen said.
Why is Mr. Musk feuding with Delta?
Most major U.S. airlines upgrading to high-speed Wi-Fi are going with Starlink, whose satellites orbit closer to Earth than older satellites.
American, Alaska, United and Southwest Airlines have selected Starlink. But Delta, the most profitable U.S. airline, and JetBlue have chosen Amazon Leo, a satellite service that is not yet available.
After Delta announced the partnership this year, Mr. Musk said the airline “wanted to make it painful, difficult and expensive for their customers.” Last week, he said Delta’s chief, Ed Bastian, had made an error that could cost him his position. Mr. Musk was responding to an unverified report that Mr. Bastian had said it was not wise to work with Mr. Musk.
In an interview with The New York Times, Mr. Bastian disputed that report.
“I wouldn’t say that in a public setting or a private setting,” he said. “What we said is that we’re not working with Starlink because we decided to go a different direction.”
On Friday, Delta reported $20.2 billion in revenue for the third quarter of the year, during the three months ending in September, a company record.
SpaceX and Amazon did not respond to requests for comment.
This isn’t the first time Mr. Musk has criticized executives, politicians and others he disagrees with. In addition to Mr. Bastian, his targets have included Jeff Bezos, the executive chair of Amazon, and the chief executive of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary.
Delta’s decision to use Leo could be risky. While other airlines have already begun offering Starlink service on some flights, Delta won’t begin installing Amazon’s service until 2028.
That doesn’t mean Delta isn’t making upgrades, Mr. Bastian said. One of the airline’s current internet providers, Viasat, recently launched two new satellites that will “change the game for our customers,” he said.
Mr. Bastian has said Delta chose Amazon because it will cost the airline less than Starlink and because the airline hopes to provide customers other perks from Amazon. Delta has been profitable in recent years partly because customers like its credit cards, lounges and partnerships with other companies. For example, Delta’s customers can earn miles by buying coffee at Starbucks and hailing rides on Uber.
“We’ll be working very closely with them to bring new experiences to customers,” he said of Amazon. “It’s not just about the Wi-Fi; it’s what you do with the Wi-Fi.”
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