Copa Airlines launches its first Starlink-connected aircraft this week, but accessing the Internet service will come at a cost for most passengers.
The Panamanian carrier announced that travellers must pay a fee to connect to the WiFi service, although access will be complimentary for customers in business class and any ConnectMiles PreferMembers of Gold, Platinum, and Presidential status.
Most airlines who offer Starlink-powered WiFi have done so for free, although some carriers require customers to join their loyalty programme before they can get online. Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and United are among those who have already launched aircraft with Starlink compatibility. The assumption so far has been that, for full-service carriers, free highspeed Internet is an essential investment to keep service in line with customer expectations, while also using it as an incentive to attract more loyalty members.
Copa have become the first to buck the trend and add Starlink WiFi as an ancillary product. The airline is the only in Latin America currently launching the service, powered by SpaceX’s constellation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Diana Mizrachi-Kopel, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Copa Airlines, said:
Introducing Starlink is another step in our commitment to continuously improving the travel experience for our customers through innovation, as Latin America’s most on-time airline, we are now also the region’s first airline to offer Starlink’s high-speed internet onboard our aircraft.
Alongside the raft of Starlink deals, competitors Amazon Leo are also muscling in on the LEO connectivity boom, signing partnerships with Delta and JetBlue.
Investing in onboard WiFi services isn’t cheap, and airlines’ narrow operating margins have been squeezed further this year by rising fuel prices. Copa’s choice to paywall the service will be watched closely to determine whether highspeed WiFi can be a viable source of revenue for full-service carriers.
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