LONDON – Hawaiian Airlines has today announced a partnership with SpaceX that will use its Starlink satellites to provide free high-speed internet in-flight.
It is understood that SpaceX will provide this service on Hawaiian’s Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft as well as their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft as well.
Both sides are in the initial stages of implementation and expect to begin the installation of the product next year.
Hawaiian To Provide Best Internet Connectivity in the Sector…
Expanding on this was Hawaiian CEO Peter Ingram, who boasted that this will be the best internet connectivity in the sector:
“When we launch with Starlink we will have the best connectivity experience available in the air”.
“We waited until technology caught up with our high standards for the guest experience, but it will be worth the wait. Our guests can look forward to fast, seamless, and free Wi-Fi to complement our award-winning onboard Hawaiian hospitality.”
Also commenting on this was Jonathan Hofeller, the VP of Starlink’s Commercial Sales at SpaceX:
“Hawaiian Airlines is ensuring its passengers will experience high-speed internet the way we expect it in the 21st century, making hassles like downloading movies before takeoff a relic of the past”.
“With Starlink, the inflight experience is greatly simplified so that once passengers step on board the plane the internet works seamlessly throughout their flight.”
“Soon, passengers will enjoy all the benefits of having the world’s best inflight internet connectivity from the comfort of their seats.”
How Will Starlink Work on Hawaiian Flights?
In Starlink‘s low-Earth-orbit constellation of advanced satellites, the latest of which utilize a revolutionary laser mesh network, Hawaiian found an ideal solution to ensure reliable, high-speed, low-latency connectivity on transpacific flights.
Guests will be able to stream content, play games live with friends on the ground, work and collaborate in real-time, plan their Hawai‘i vacation, or share their special island moments on social media.
Connecting to the internet will be seamless when guests walk onboard, without registration pages or payment portals.
It is also understood that Hawaiian will not place this new setup on its Boeing 717 aircraft that operate short flights between the Hawaiian islands.
The Deal Will Be A Gamechanger…
Knowing how much of an impact Starlink has made in space so far, it is clear that SpaceX is confident it can provide significant internet coverage onboard flights.
This is why it will be such a game-changer. With this deal, SpaceX is expanding its commercial portfolio even further and will be the first of its kind away from launching rockets into space.
According to a report from Inverse, there are around 1,915 Starlink satellites in orbit, which is likely the reason why SpaceX has wanted to dabble in connectivity in commercial aviation.
With the company planning several launches over the next few years to put more satellites in orbit, this is of course why Ingram at Hawaiian is so confident about providing a flawless service.
All eyes are now on the two companies over the next 12 months to see how the new connections will hold and whether it will cover a lot of the ground that Hawaiian wishes to make on this.
