British Airways will provide free onboard wifi ‘that feels like home even at 38,000 feet’ after signing a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The airline will start rolling out the technology on flights from next year as part of a ‘£7billion transformation’.
British Airways owner, International Airlines Group, has reached an agreement with Starlink to provide internet connectivity on more than 500 aircraft across its carriers. Starlink, which uses thousands of satellites orbiting Earth, is owned by Mr Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company.
British Airways said passengers will have access to free wifi ‘whichever cabin they are travelling in’ and you would not need a ‘special login’.
The company also claimed the connection would be twice as fast as home broadband. The airline currently offers limited wifi through its air service on most of its aircraft.
Virgin Media O2 has teamed up with Starlink – the satellite internet service developed by Musk’s SpaceX – on a new product called O2 Satellite
British Airways owner, International Airlines Group, has reached an agreement with Starlink to provide internet connectivity on more than 500 aircraft across its carriers. Starlink, which uses thousands of satellites orbiting Earth, is owned by Mr Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company
This ranges from text-based messaging, free to members of its loyalty club, to packages enabling passengers to ‘stream music, video content and films’.
This costs between £4.99 and £21.99 depending on the duration.
Sean Doyle, British Airways chief executive, said: ‘Launching Starlink on both our long-haul and short-haul aircraft is game-changing for us and our customers, offering them seamless connectivity from gate to gate. Especially on short-haul, this will really differentiate us from our competitors.’
Mr Doyle added: ‘With our new wifi powered by Starlink, our customers will be able to enjoy lightning-fast, low-lag internet from the moment they board to the moment they land – even over oceans and remote regions.
‘It’s wifi that feels like home, even at 38,000 feet.’
