Hawaiian Airlines Adds In-Flight Wi-Fi With SpaceX’s Starlink

Hawaiian Airlines is setting a precedent by providing free Wi-Fi facilitated by SpaceX’s Starlink on its commercial flights. It is the first significant U.S. airline to provide this satellite-based service.

Hawaiian’s decision to incorporate free Wi-Fi into its services comes as airlines are increasingly enhancing their high-speed connection capabilities. Other airlines, such as JetBlue Airways, provide Wi-Fi free of charge onboard. Last year, Delta Air Lines also started offering free onboard internet to its loyalty program members following years of planning.

Hawaiian Airlines operates a vast network of flights across the Pacific Ocean, connecting the U.S. mainland with locations such as Japan, New Zealand, and Australia from Hawaii. This extensive and strategic network will now be complemented by the convenience and efficiency of onboard Wi-Fi services.

The airline signed an agreement with SpaceX in April 2022 to leverage the Starlink network. This network comprises over 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit and caters to more than 2.3 million customers globally. Before this strategic move, Hawaiian Airlines did not provide in-flight Wi-Fi.

Financial details regarding this agreement, including the cost of installing aviation-specific Starlink terminals on commercial aircraft, were not revealed. However, Hawaiian Airlines is proactively installing these terminals, with six already installed on Airbus A321 planes.

The expectation is to add Starlink to an additional 18 A321 jets and 24 A330 aircraft throughout the year. This move signals an entirely new connectivity standard for airplanes. The initial plan was to begin installation last year, but this was delayed since SpaceX needed to launch more next-generation Starlink satellites and receive certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Notably, SpaceX has continuously obtained licenses required for a wide range of aircraft. It has received certification for smaller jets, with semi-private charter JSX commencing usage of the service in late 2022. As it stands, Starlink has been used on over 30,000 flights on various routes across the U.S. and worldwide.

Besides Hawaiian, SpaceX has also announced in-flight Wi-Fi deals with airBaltic from Latvia, Zipair from Japan, and Qatar Airways. The inclusion of Starlink services comes shortly after Alaska Airlines agreed to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal, which happened late last year. This development is a clear indication of Hawaiian Airlines’ commitment to providing an enhanced in-flight experience for its passengers.