Delta Air Lines has faced heavy criticism for not using Starlink, but its free WiFi is getting an upgrade this month. Elon Musk said CEO Ed Bastian should lose his job over choosing Amazon Leo, with installation starting in 2028, instead of Starlink.
United Airlines also took a swipe, offering loyalty status matches with the line “Don’t keep buffering: switch to United and get the fastest WiFi in the sky.”
Viasat’s New Satellite Gives Delta a Boost Over the Pacific
Yet on some routes, Delta may come out ahead. United says Starlink is now on more than 40% of its 1,600-plus aircraft and hopes to cover the whole fleet by the end of next year.
But on long-haul flights, passengers are likely out of luck: only six of its 244 wide-body planes have it. United uses wide-bodies for flights from the US mainland to Asia, and its Boeing 787-9s still await FAA certification for Starlink.
Delta uses Viasat’s geostationary satellites, which orbit about 22,000 miles up and can add latency. However, Viasat’s new VS-3 satellites are designed to add over 1 terabit per second of capacity.
The third, F3, launched in April and serves Asia-Pacific, including Delta’s transpacific routes. Delta says its free Delta Sync WiFi is coming online for Pacific routes this month, and aviation commentator Ben Bearup said Delta will now beat United on transpacific speeds. Still, United’s pace suggests it keeps the overall upper hand before Amazon Leo arrives.
