“Will Be Like Home But Faster” – Starlink Inks First In-Flight WiFi Deal With Carrier 

Anyone who has flown and used in-flight wireless internet has experienced very slow speeds that make it near impossible to run the mobile version of Bloomberg Terminal or Refinitiv Eikon (or anything other than WhatsApp). According to Reuters, that may change as the first airline inked a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to equip its jets with high-speed internet. 

Semi-private jet service JSX plans to outfit its 77 30-seat Embraer jets with Starlink terminals developed specifically for the aviation market. 

JSX CEO Alex Wilcox told CNBC, “We’ll be the first to have [Starlink] on an airplane.” He said Starlink service on JSX flights is pending regulatory approval and may be available on its fleet by the fourth quarter. 

JSX’s announcement comes days after Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told WSJ about its exploratory tests of Starlink’s technology. He declined to mention specifics. 

In March, Jonathan Hofeller, vice president of Starlink commercial sales, told a conference that Starlink’s technology could overhaul the entire in-flight internet industry. 

Starlink may experience hurdles in winning contracts with carriers because many are locked in long-term contracts with other providers, such as Gogo Inflight Internet. 

Starlink on JSX “will be just like home, only faster,” Wilcox said.