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Alaska ‘Looking at’ Starlink Wi-Fi

An announcement may be coming “soon.”

Alaska 737 MAX

An Alaska Boeing 737 MAX 9 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Alaska Airlines may soon become the latest carrier to join the Starlink bandwagon. The Seattle-based carrier is reportedly “looking at” the service, an airline official said.

Hawaiian Airlines – which is now part of the Alaska Air Group – completed the rollout of Starlink across its Airbus A321neo and A330-200 fleets last year. The airline’s CEO, Joe Sprague, hinted at plans to extend the service on Alaska’s fleet as well.

During an event in Hawaii on Tuesday, Sprague shared that Alaska is “looking at” Starlink, per MauiNow. An announcement is likely coming “soon,” he added.

Several airlines are rolling out Elon Musk’s high-speed Wi-Fi service, including Qatar Airways, airBaltic, and Air France. United became the first U.S. airline to announce plans to install Starlink on its entire fleet.

The Chicago-based airline expects to debut free Starlink Wi-Fi this spring on a United Express Embraer E175 jet.

787 Installation

In addition, Sprague said Hawaiian does plan to add Starlink on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, pending approval. Due to the aircraft’s predominantly composite fuselage, this could take “several months.”

“Because it has a carbon fiber fuselage, it’s taking a bit longer to get approval to install the necessary satellite antenna,” he noted.

 

Ryan Ewing
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  • Ryan Ewing

    Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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