Alaska Airlines joins growing list of carriers adopting Starlink for in-flight WiFi
August 21, 2025
Alaska Airlines has announced it will roll out SpaceX’s Starlink in-flight WiFi across its fleet, marking a significant expansion of the low-Earth orbit (LEO) provider’s footprint in commercial aviation. The airline says passengers will gain access to its high-speed, reliable connections beginning later this year.
Alaska’s decision to install Starlink is part of its service harmonisation, following its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, which was the world’s first airline to introduce the service.
“With Starlink already live on Hawaiian Airlines and installations starting this winter across Alaska’s fleet, we’re proud that we’ll offer the fastest, most reliable in-flight internet in the skies – with gate-to-gate connectivity on nearly every aircraft across both airlines,” says Ben Minicucci, Chief Executive Officer and President of Alaska Air Group.
Global airlines turn to Starlink for free, high-speed in-flight connectivity service
The move follows a string of similar announcements from carriers worldwide.
North American airlines adopting Starlink
In North America, Hawaiian Airlines has already equipped its Airbus A330s and A321neos with free Starlink Wi-Fi, with Boeing 787s to follow.
JSX has also installed the service on its fleet of Embraer ERJ aircraft. JSX was the first non-airline carrier to offer Starlink’s in-flight internet service. It is available to all passengers free of charge.
United Airlines began offering Starlink on regional aircraft earlier this year and plans to equip over 300 regional jets by the end of the year. United has said it will extend Starlink to its entire mainline fleet.
WestJet is also rolling out the service on its narrowbody aircraft in 2025, with widebodies to follow in 2026. The airline offers free, high-speed internet to WestJet Rewards members. It has begun activating the service on some flights, as it completes installations.
European carriers installing Starlink connectivity
In Europe, airBaltic was the first to announce Starlink service. The airline has committed to a fleet-wide rollout of free, high-speed Starlink connections on its Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The service launched on the first aircraft in February of this year, and airBaltic has said it will complete the installation by the end of 2025.
Air France has introduced Starlink connections onboard this summer, and plans to offer the free service on more than 200 aircraft.
SAS is preparing to start a fleet-wide rollout of Starlink connections later this year and will offer the service free to Eurobonus members.
And Virgin Atlantic has committed to Starlink, with installations across its fleet beginning in 2026.
Other global airlines adopting Starlink
In the Middle East, Qatar Airways has already installed Starlink on its 54 Boeing 777s and plans to complete installations on its Airbus A350s by the end of this year. The airline aims to be the first airline to operate a widebody fleet fully connected with Starlink.
Emirates is also reported to be in talks with Starlink to install the service, though no deal has been announced yet.
In Asia, Zipair has also selected Starlink for its in-flight Wi-Fi service, making it the first airline in Asia to do so. Zipair and SpaceX are currently working through the installation review and regulatory approval process for Zipair’s fleet.
Air New Zealand is testing Starlink connectivity on two aircraft: one Airbus A320 and one ATR turboprop. The airline will assess the performance of the high-speed, low-latency service and gather customer feedback.
Starlink’s growing in-flight connectivity market position
According to a May 2025 report and infographic from analysts at Valour Consultancy, a firm which specialises in tracking in-flight entertainment and connectivity, Starlink is set to capture a substantial share of the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market.
- While Starlink currently only accounts for 1% of the installed base, its order backlog suggests a dramatic shift over the coming years.
- Starlink has the most extensive install backlog among all competitors in the space, as of the end of 2024, with planned installations on 2,155 aircraft.
- Viasat has the largest current install share, with 37% of the market and the second-largest backlog with 1,800 aircraft.
- Intelsat has the second-largest share of current installations, with 26%. It has the third-largest install backlog with 1,078 aircraft.
- Panasonic has the third-largest share of installations (22%), trailing far behind in install backlog with 199 aircraft.
- Hughes, Thales, and Anuvu jointly account for the remaining 14% of the install base and have a combined install backlog of 1,013 aircraft.
Starlink’s rapid adoption is a challenge to the legacy geostationary satellite providers, who previously dominated the in-flight connectivity market.
Starlink’s LEO megaconstellation
The key differentiator for Starlink is low-latency, enabled by the low-earth orbit, high speeds, and true global coverage.
Starlink has plans to build a ‘megaconstellation’ of between 30,000 and 42,000 satellites in orbit around the Earth.
As Space.com reports, Starlink’s growing constellation stands at 8,094 satellites, with 8,075 of these active. This year’s launches so far account for 1,762 satellites. More are expected in orbit this year as the company continues an active launch schedule through SpaceX.
While competitors such as Viasat, Panasonic, and Intelsat continue to serve large numbers of aircraft, Valour Consultancy’s forecast suggests that Starlink is positioned to become the dominant IFC provider within the next decade.
Alaska Airlines’ latest announcement adds to the momentum behind the global LEO-based network’s growing dominance in the skies.
