Passengers on British Airways flights will be able to access fast wifi onboard at no cost after the airline’s parent company signed a deal with Elon Musk’s satellite company.
The carrier said the free “reliable and lightning-fast” wifi from Starlink would be available to customers flying in economy, business or first class from next month.
BA’s owner, International Airlines Group (IAG), said it had reached agreement with Starlink to provide internet connectivity on more than 500 aircraft across its carriers, which also include Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling.
BA said the rollout of the technology was part of a £7bn “transformation” and would provide lag-free internet access to passengers from boarding to landing, even when they are flying over oceans or remote regions. Passengers will be able to connect multiple devices and they will not need a special login.
Sean Doyle, British Airways’ chief executive, described the launch of the Starlink service as “gamechanging for us and our customers, elevating their experience onboard our flights by offering them seamless connectivity from gate to gate. Especially on short-haul, this will really differentiate us from our competitors.”
Limited wifi access is currently offered to BA passengers on most of its aircraft through its .air service. Members of BA’s loyalty club are able to send messages and text-based emails onboard at no cost, while passengers who want to stream music, video and films during their flight and are not travelling in first class can expect to pay between £4.99 and £21.99 for a wifi package.
Starlink has a network of thousands of satellites and is operated by Musk’s SpaceX company.
Doyle and BA’s management have been working to turn the airline around after years of cost cutting, IT problems, strikes and mass redundancies. BA said use of artificial intelligence technology had helped it to bring its punctuality to the best levels since 2012.
In August, BA reported a jump in operating profits for the first half of the year, helping to push its owner IAG’s profit higher. IAG is due to report its results for the three months from July to September on Friday.
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BA’s announcement comes days after mobile phone operator Virgin Media O2 said it was partnering with Starlink to improve mobile network coverage in rural parts of the UK, by allowing consumers to automatically connect phones via satellites when no standard mobile signal is available.
