Air France has become the latest airline to choose Elon Musk’s Starlink Wi-Fi service to provide a fast ‘ground-like’ internet experience in the skies with plans to start installing the ultra-fast broadband service across its entire aircraft fleet starting in 2025.
Making the announcement on Thursday, Air France said its decision to choose Starlink was “a major step in its move upmarket” and that the service would revolutionize inflight internet connectivity.
Starlink, which is a division of SpaceX, uses what it describes as a ‘constellation’ of low-earth orbit satellites to provide broadband-quality, low-latency internet service to nearly every corner of the globe.
Essentially, Starlink’s satellite internet service offers the same Wi-Fi experience as you would expect from a traditional connection, pretty much anywhere in the world – including on a plane.
Starlink has been on a roll winning over airline partners in recent months, including United Airlines which announced earlier this month that it also intends to install Starlink across its entire fleet starting in 2025.
Other Starlink customers include Hawaiian Airlines which has just completed the rollout of the ultra-fast Wi-Fi service across its entire Airbus fleet. Qatar Airways intends to start the rollout of Starlink by the end of this year, while other customers include Air New Zealand, Zip Air and Air Baltic.
Like other airlines who have already signed up to Starlink, Air France says it intends to offer Starlink for free for all passengers across all cabins. Passengers will be required to sign up to the Air France Flying Blue frequent flyer program, although customers will be able to sign up onboard if they are not already a member.
Passengers traveling in Air France’s La Première First Class cabin will, however, still be able to connect without a Flying Blue account.
Air France did not provide a timeline for how long the Starlink rollout might take but installations will begin next summer. During the rollout phase, customers on non-Starlink-equipped jets will be able to access free messaging plans but will otherwise have to pay for internet access.
The rollout will include the entire Air France mainline fleet, as well as its regional aircraft.
