Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi

SpaceX's low-orbit constellation. Low altitude keeps latency close to ground broadband, which is what makes video calls workable in the air.

Orbit: Low Earth orbit (LEO), ~550 km
Typical latency: roughly 20-50 ms

How it works

·Thousands of satellites in low orbit hand traffic between each other and ground stations, so the signal path stays short.
·Aircraft carry a flat phased-array antenna with no moving parts.
·Airlines almost always bundle it as free wifi, sometimes behind a free loyalty sign-in.
·The catch is retrofit pace: airlines announce fleet-wide deals but each aircraft is converted individually, so mid-rollout fleets are a coin toss.

Airlines flying Starlink (22)

Airline	Where	Verdict
Aer Lingus	A330, A321	Varies by aircraft
Air Canada	Dash 8, Q400	Fast, but no calls
Air France	777, A350	Varies by aircraft
Air New Zealand	A320	Not on every aircraft
airBaltic	A220	Video calls work
Alaska Airlines	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
Austrian Airlines	A320, A321	Varies by aircraft
British Airways	787	Not on every aircraft
Copa Airlines	Fleet rollout	Not on every aircraft
Emirates	Whole fleet	Varies by aircraft
Gulf Air	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
Hawaiian Airlines	A330, A321	Fast, but no calls
Iberia	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
Lufthansa	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
Qatar Airways	777, A350, 787	Video calls work
SAS	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
Southwest	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
SWISS	A320, A321	Varies by aircraft
United	Fleet rollout	Varies by aircraft
Virgin Atlantic	A350	Voice calls only
WestJet	737	Fast, but no calls
ZIPAIR	787	Video calls work

Announced or planned (19)

Air Busan Air Seoul Asiana Airlines Brussels Airlines Cebu Pacific Edelweiss Air El Al Eurowings flydubai FlySafair Frontier ITA Airways JetSMART Jin Air Korean Air SalamAir Singapore Airlines Vietjet Air Volaris

Starlink questions

Is Starlink Wi-Fi fast enough for video calls?

Generally yes. Starlink runs at roughly 20-50 ms latency, close enough to ground broadband for live video, though some airlines still ban calls as cabin policy.

Which airlines use Starlink?

As of September 2026, 22 airlines in the registry are flying Starlink: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France, Air New Zealand, airBaltic, Alaska Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways and more. Another 19 have announced or planned it.

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.