American Airlines on Tuesday became the latest air carrier to partner with SpaceX’s Starlink for in-flight wireless internet service.
American said it will install Starlink antennas on 500 narrowbody aircraft starting in the first quarter of 2027. That total includes newly arriving Airbus A321XLRs and A321neos.
“American is committed to elevating every aspect of our customers’ travel journeys, which in the air means keeping them connected and comfortable with the assurance they won’t have to download documents ahead of a flight or worry about lag time,” American Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said in a news release. “Starlink’s high speed and low latency make the Wi-Fi more reliable, which matters when customers are trying to load pages, join real-time collaboration tools, or stay connected consistently throughout a flight.”
Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of low-Earth-orbit satellites to provide high-speed internet to subscribers. The service allows airline passengers to browse, shop, work, game, and stream content much as they would at home.
American did not say if or when its widebody aircraft will be connected.
Over two dozen airlines have signed contracts with Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi, including United, Southwest, Alaska Airlines, Emirates, British Airways, and Qatar Airways.
Delta has partnered with Starlink competitor Amazon Leo.
