American Airlines have announced they will equip more than 500 Airbus narrowbodies for Starlink WiFi, beginning Q1 2027.

Powered by low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, SpaceX’s connectivity solution can deliver high-speed internet that passengers can use onboard as they would at home. Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden explained:

American is committed to elevating every aspect of our customers’ travel journeys, which in the air means keeping them connected and comfortable with the assurance they won’t have to download documents ahead of a flight or worry about lag time. Starlink’s high speed and low latency make the Wi-Fi more reliable, which matters when customers are trying to load pages, join real-time collaboration tools or stay connected consistently throughout a flight.

American’s decision to limit Starlink installation to their Airbus narrowbodies is interesting. It will create a split experience for passengers, with those on American’s sizeable fleet of widebody Boeings, equipped with legacy Panasonic Avionics satellite systems, unable to access high-speed internet.

The move comes as American tries to take greater bites of the premium market currently dominated by its competitors. United have already signed a deal with Starlink, while Delta last month announced they were opting for LEO competitor Amazon Leo.

American were also said to be considering a partnership with Amazon. When rumours of talks leaked at the end of 2025, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to X, posting this warning:

American Airlines will lose a lot of customers if their connectivity solution fails [sic]

He also publicly swiped at Delta when they did sign a deal with Amazon, claiming the carrier wanted to make things ‘painful, difficult and expensive’ for passengers.

With American Airlines joining the roster, Starlink’s list of partnerships in the aviation industry is extensive. Nevertheless, once the Amazon Leo network is more established, the tables could well turn: Amazon’s extensive ecosystem can provide airlines with far more than just high-speed WiFi.

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