Gravitating towards low-latency non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satcom since its 2023 decision to bring multi-orbit inflight connectivity to two-cabin regional jets, American Airlines today announced plans to fit SpaceX’s Starlink Ku-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-powered IFC to more than 500 Airbus narrowbodies.
“New A321XLR and A321neo deliveries” have been earmarked for Starlink, as part of American’s wider modernization of its Airbus narrowbody fleet, the airline says.
Financial terms have not been disclosed. And it is not immediately clear which variant of American’s Airbus A320 family twinjets will be fitted first. Installs will start in the first quarter of 2027.
American is the fourth US major to adopt Starlink, following full-fleet customers United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, and partial-fleet customer Southwest Airlines. In contrast, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines have selected Amazon’s forthcoming Ka-band LEO satellite-supported IFC solution, Amazon Leo, for a portion of their respective fleets.
A oneworld alliance member, American began a phased rollout of free inflight Wi-Fi early this year. It says Starlink “will enable seamless streaming, browsing and real-time communication capabilities” across its domestic and short-haul international routes.
The move will affect existing IFC service providers at American. Viasat and Intelsat-now-SES’s geostationary (GEO) satellite-based inflight connectivity systems are installed on American’s Airbus narrowbodies.
(Separately, SES’s multi-orbit IFC solution, which uses both LEO satellite service from Eutelsat OneWeb and SES GEO service, is installed on American’s two-cabin regional jets, while Panasonic’s Ku-band GEO solution and Viasat Ka are offered on widebody aircraft.)
Viasat, meanwhile, is prepping to support multi-orbit IFC for its customers, as powered by its GEO satellites and Telesat’s forthcoming Ka-band LEO service. It remains to be seen if American will sign on for this Amara-branded solution.
“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want,” American Airlines chief customer officer Heather Garboden said in a statement.
“The addition of Starlink solidifies American as a leading airline in keeping passengers connected in flight.”
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Featured image credited to Chris Sloan
