SpaceX's Starlink lands inflight Wi-Fi partnership with Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines' installation of Starlink on select aircraft is expected to begin next year
SpaceX's Starlink has inked a deal to become the inflight Wi-Fi provider for Hawaiian Airlines.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hawaiian Airlines will offer SpaceX's high-speed, low-latency broadband internet service to its guests free of charge onboard flights between the islands and the continental U.S, Asia and Oceania. (Hawaiian Airlines)
Under the terms of the agreement, Hawaiian Airlines will become the first major airline to offer Starlink's high-speed, low-latency broadband internet service to its guests free of charge onboard flights between the islands and the continental United States, Asia and Oceania.
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Hawaiian Airlines offers approximately 130 daily flights within the Hawaiian Islands, daily nonstop flights between Hawaii and 16 U.S. gateway cities, and service connecting Honolulu and American Samoa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Tahiti.
Hawaii’s largest and longest-serving carrier will equip its Airbus A330 and A321neo aircraft, as well as an incoming fleet of Boeing 787-9s, with Starlink's service. Hawaiian does not currently plan to deploy Starlink on its Boeing 717 aircraft that operate short flights between the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiian and Starlink are in the initial stages of implementation and expect to begin installing the service on select aircraft next year.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HA | HAWAIIAN HOLDINGS INC. | 12.90 | -0.07 | -0.54% |
Hawaiian will report its quarterly earnings results after the bell on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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The deal comes as SpaceX has sought regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission to test Starlink on aircraft and shipping vessels and had previously tested the internet network on a handful of Gulfstream jets, as well as military aircraft.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk teased in October that the aerospace company was in talks with airlines about using Starlink.
SpaceX's Starlink has inked a deal to become the inflight Wi-Fi provider for semi-private air carrier JSX. (JSX)
In addition to the partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, SpaceX has reached a deal with semi-private aircarrier JSX to outfit up to 100 airplanes with Starlink's service, which will be offered to all JSX customers at no charge later this year. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian also told the Wall Street Journal that the company is currently testing Starlink for its flights.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 49.24 | +0.22 | +0.45% |
Starlink, which is available in a handful of countries, charges $110 per month for standard service and $500 per month for premium service. The Starlink kit costs $549 for deposit holders and $599 for new orders.
More than 2,000 Starlink satellites have been launched into orbit by SpaceX to date. The constellation is currently authorized for a total of 4,408 satellites, all in orbits at around 550 kilometers (about 342 miles).
Reuters contributed to this report