American Airlines partners with Elon Musk to bring faster internet to flights
American Airlines is taking a new approach to keeping passengers connected with the carrier recently announcing it will outfit more than 500 of its narrow-body aircraft with Starlink early next year.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is the largest provider of flights at Charlotte’s airport. The airline plans to update its Wi-Fi on its fleet of Airbus aircraft, including its A321neo deliveries and A321XLR.
Starlink uses satellite technology to deliver high-speed internet that supports streaming, social media browsing and more, according to the company’s website. The service is operated by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk.
“Starlink’s high speed and low latency make the Wi-Fi more reliable, which matters when customers are trying to load pages, join real-time collaboration tools or stay connected consistently throughout a flight,” American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said in a statement. “We are excited to bring an at-home level of Wi-Fi experience to our narrow-body fleet, enabling our customers to work, game, stream and scroll endlessly.”
American accounts for around 90% of the flights in and out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The new service will enable streaming, browsing and real-time communication across American’s domestic and short-haul international routes, according to a news release.
“We are proud to bring Starlink on board American Airlines, delivering fast and reliable internet to passengers and crew,” Vice President of Starlink Enterprise Sales at SpaceX Jason Fritch said in a statement. “Whether traveling for leisure or business, Starlink enables a fully connected experience gate to gate, making every flight smoother and more enjoyable.”
Starlink is a constellation of satellites that orbits Earth at around 340 miles, which is much closer than other geostationary satellites, according to the company’s website. It cuts the latency – or round trip data time between the user and satellite – to about 25 milliseconds.
American joins a growing number of domestic and international airlines that are offering the company’s Wi-Fi to its passengers. Others include Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, which announced a similar move in February, and Chicago-based United Airlines.