Emirates vs British Airways Wi-Fi

Same route, different metal. The tables below are the two carriers' live registry entries, per aircraft type, so the comparison stays current as their rollouts move.

Emirates

Whole fleetVaries by aircraft

Panasonic/Thales GEO on unfitted aircraft; Starlink in service (33 Boeing 777 and 3 A380 flying as of Jul 2026, ~150 aircraft by end of 2026, all 232 777s and A380s by mid-2027)

· Free in all cabins on Starlink-fitted aircraft
· On GEO aircraft, free tiers for Skywards members with full access paid or premium-cabin

British Airways

787Not on every aircraft

Starlink on 11 of 12 787-8s (trade reports by registration, 30 September 2026); older satellite Wi-Fi on 14 of 18 787-9s and every 787-10; no Wi-Fi on the remaining 787-8 and four 787-9s

A350Varies by aircraft

Starlink on 6 of 18 A350-1000s (passenger reports, 30 September 2026, not yet confirmed by BA); older satellite Wi-Fi on the rest

A380Email & browsing

Older satellite Wi-Fi on every A380 (no Starlink yet: the A380 still needs certification)

777Email & browsing

Older satellite Wi-Fi on every 777 (no Starlink yet)

A319, A320, A321Not on every aircraft

Standard Wi-Fi on most A319/A320/A321s; none on some of the newest aircraft (no Starlink yet)

Embraer 190, ERJ-190, E190No Wi-Fi

None (BA CityFlyer's London City Embraer 190s have never had Wi-Fi, and Starlink is not planned for them)

· Paid on planes without Starlink (about £7.99 for an hour up to £23.99 for the whole flight)
· Free messaging for British Airways Club members, and free in First
· Free in every cabin on Starlink planes

Emirates vs British Airways Wi-Fi questions

Does Emirates or British Airways have better Wi-Fi?

As of September 2026, Emirates's fleet-level verdict is "Varies by aircraft" and British Airways's is "Not on every aircraft". On mid-rollout fleets the answer changes with the specific aircraft, so check the per-aircraft tables for the plane on your route.

Is Wi-Fi free on Emirates and British Airways?

Emirates: Free in all cabins on Starlink-fitted aircraft; On GEO aircraft, free tiers for Skywards members with full access paid or premium-cabin. British Airways: Paid on planes without Starlink (about £7.99 for an hour up to £23.99 for the whole flight); Free messaging for British Airways Club members, and free in First; Free in every cabin on Starlink planes.

Compare these instead

Know before you book.

FlightWifi shows these verdicts inline on Google Flights, Skyscanner and Rift, matched to the exact aircraft on your flight.

Get the free extension Check your flight Starlink on flights

The extension itself runs in Chrome on a computer. What it does.