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Southwest Airlines has officially entered the Starlink era with its first aircraft equipped with SpaceX’s satellite internet service entering commercial service on June 22nd. It’s been a busy week for in-flight Wi-Fi as United Airlines rolled out its first wide-body aircraft with Starlink yesterday as well.
The milestone flight, operated by Boeing 737-800, took off from Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) bound for Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ). This flight marked the beginning of Southwest’s fleetwide Starlink rollout.
Powered by Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite network, the new connectivity platform is designed to deliver significantly faster and more reliable inflight internet than traditional airline Wi-Fi systems. Passengers can stream videos in high definition, watch live sports, play online games, upload large files, participate in video calls, and browse the internet much like they would on the ground.
Southwest says this is only the first step in a broader deployment plan. The airline will begin retrofitting additional aircraft throughout the summer, gradually expanding Starlink service across its network. The carrier is also tying the service to its Rapid Rewards loyalty program. Thanks to a partnership with T-Mobile, Rapid Rewards members will receive complimentary access to onboard Wi-Fi, including Starlink-powered connectivity, adding another benefit to the airline’s frequent flyer program.
As more airlines adopt Starlink technology, expectations for inflight internet continue to rise. With the launch of its first Starlink-equipped aircraft, Southwest is positioning itself to offer one of the fastest onboard connectivity experiences available in commercial aviation.
Anthony’s Take: For passengers, it means the days of slow, unreliable inflight internet may soon be a thing of the past. I’m excited to see Starlink being installed on more aircraft across carriers and can’t wait to fly with it in the future.
(Image Credits: Southwest Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
