David Flynn, writing for Executive Traveller:
British Airways will join a global shift to Starlink Wi-Fi this month when the Oneworld member’s first Starlink-equipped Boeing 787 takes to the skies.
And based on results to date, passengers can look forward to download speeds in excess of 100Mbps.
Even better: Starlink Wi-Fi will be free for all passengers, from the coveted first class suites in Row 1 to the very last row in economy.
However, nobody will have to enter their credit card details or even be a member of the British Airways Club loyalty program to log on.
Compare AA and BA’s Wi-Fi rollout plans:
| Feature | AA | BA |
| Speed1 | ~50-60mbps | ~150mbps |
| Access | Create or login to an Aadvantage account | No login |
| Ads | Video ads after login | No ads |
Once BA rolls out Starlink across its fleet (date TBA), I’d watch the impact on load factor on AA and BA’s joint venture flights between JFK and LHR. There has never been a clear advantage to flying one over the other. Soon there will be.
- According to Ookla’s latest In-Flight Wifi speed test results for Intelsat and Viasat. I get speeds between 1-15mbps when flying American, but I’m trusting their data over my anecdote. ↩︎