JetBlue becomes 1st airline to sign on with Amazon’s Project Kuiper for in-flight WiFi
September 4, 2025
JetBlue has become the first airline in the world to partner with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network promising to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet worldwide. The decision marks the next significant evolution of the carrier’s Fly-Fi service, which has offered free WiFi on every JetBlue flight since 2013.
Kuiper connectivity onboard JetBlue’s planes starting in 2027
JetBlue plans to begin installing Kuiper technology on a portion of its fleet in 2027, starting with aircraft currently using its original Viasat-powered geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) system. The rollout will be phased, with more details on routes and planes to follow.
“Our agreement with Project Kuiper marks an exciting leap forward for us as the hands-down leader in onboard connectivity,” said Marty St. George, JetBlue president. “Whether it’s binge-watching a favourite show, staying connected with loved ones, or wrapping up a work project, we’re always looking for ways to make our customers’ time in the air as connected and productive as they want it to be.”
Amazon executives hailed the deal as a key milestone. Panos Panay, Amazon SVP of Devices & Services, said:
“Staying connected is part of everyday life, even when you’re travelling. With Project Kuiper, we’re working to ensure customers can enjoy fast, reliable internet wherever they are—at home or 35,000 feet in the air—and we’re pumped to bring that to life with JetBlue.”
What is Project Kuiper?
Project Kuiper is Amazon’s planned constellation of more than 3,200 satellites in LEO, orbiting about 630 km (390 miles) above Earth. More than 100 satellites have already been launched, and Amazon is ramping up production and launch cadence to meet US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deadlines that require half the constellation to be in orbit by mid-2026.
Key features of Kuiper connectivity solutions include:
- High capacity and low latency: Optical inter-satellite links will create a mesh network in space, connected to a global system of ground stations and fibre infrastructure.
- Gigabit speeds: Amazon recently demonstrated downlink speeds of over 1.2 Gbps in testing, showing potential for in-flight applications such as video streaming, conferencing, and even real-time gaming.
- Three antenna options are available: Kuiper offers standard (~400 Mbps), compact (~100 Mbps), and high-bandwidth (~1 Gbps) terminals, all adaptable for aviation and enterprise use.
Kuiper vs. Starlink: a fresh race in the in-flight connectivity space
Amazon’s Kuiper enters an increasingly competitive LEO broadband space, dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink, which has already secured several commercial airline customers across the globe, including Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines and WestJet in North America.
- Constellation size
- Project Kuiper: approximately 3,200 satellites planned; over 100 deployed
- Starlink: Over 8,000 satellites already operational with plans to build a megaconstellation of up to 40,000 satellites
- Service timeline
- Project Kuiper: Beta service in 2025–26; airline rollout 2027
- Starlink: Commercial service already active worldwide, installation live on several commercial aircraft
- Demonstrated speeds
- Project Kuiper: recent test results showing over 1.2 Gbps
- Starlink: 100–250 Mbps typical consumer speeds
- Airline partners
- Project Kuiper: JetBlue (first and only airline announced so far)
- Starlink: Rapidly growing airline roster including Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, Air France, Qatar Airways, and others, with more partnerships under discussion
Kuiper added to the Airbus catalogue
In April, Amazon signed an agreement with Airbus to integrate Project Kuiper’s connectivity solution into the line-fit and retrofit aircraft catalogue, allowing customers the option to select Project Kuiper’s IFC service.
“Providing in-flight connectivity rivalling that available on the ground is the type of complex challenge well-suited for Amazon and Project Kuiper,” said Chris Weber, VP, Sales and Marketing for Project Kuiper, at the time.
“By building on our relationship with Airbus, we’ll enable more airlines to offer richer onboard passenger experiences and access critical flight operations information, keeping them at the forefront of the transformation in commercial aviation.”
What the Kuiper announcement means for JetBlue
JetBlue has defined its brand by taking the path less trod. It already differentiates itself in the US market as the only major airline offering free, high-speed WiFi on every flight.
Today, that service is delivered via Viasat’s GEO satellite technology. It was also a revolutionary decision by the airline at the time and has proven successful.
With the Kuiper rollout, JetBlue will deliver higher speeds and lower latency than today’s GEO system. This will help support bandwidth-intensive services, such as 4K streaming, cloud-based apps, and video conferencing.
The airline has confirmed that it will continue to offer its Kuiper-powered Fly-Fi services for free.
