As early as next year, Hawaiian Airlines will be able to connect with the Starlink satellite network to provide wireless internet. Hawaii Airlines told CNBC it plans to offer Starlink service for free to passengers. The agreement represents a first for Elon Musk’s space company.
Currently, there are approximately 2,000 satellites in low Earth orbit from SpaceX’s Starlink network, which deliver high-speed internet to consumers and businesses across the globe.
Hawaii Airlines’ plan to provide complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity will inevitably increase pressure on rival airlines to offer free Wi-Fi for their passengers. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in 2018 that the airline wants to provide free, high-speed Wi-Fi on its planes. And in 2019, tested Wi-Fi on a few flights.
There are plans for the installation of Starlink terminals, or antennas, to begin on Hawaiian planes starting next year. However, Starlink has not yet been tested, and there are “certification issues that need to be worked through before we’re ready to operate the system.” In addition, the financial details of the SpaceX deal have not been released.
Hawaii Airlines does not offer in-flight Wi-Fi but has an extensive network of flights over the Pacific Ocean, serving the U.S., Japan, Australia and New Zealand, among other destinations, from Hawaii. The Starlink Wi-Fi plan is expected to offer connectivity on its flights across the U.S. and internationally.
Mannis didn’t specify how fast the Starlink Wi-Fi would be on the planes, but he said: “the kinds of performance they have been talking about and have demonstrated have been very impressive.”
Moreover, according to Mannis, SpaceX’s vision for inflight internet “is quite different” than other competing satellite broadband providers, saying the goals for Starlink are that service “should be fast, and it should be frictionless, and it should be free.”
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