Qatar Airways will now be the largest airline to collaborate with Starlink, adding high-speed, low-latency broadband internet access to its onboard experience.
In the future, the airline will be rolling out a complimentary connectivity to passengers onboard specific aircraft and routes. Elevating the airline’s onboard experience, passengers will enjoy ultra-fast Wi-Fi speeds of up to 350 Megabits per second for video streaming entertainment and sports videos, gaming, enriched web-browsing and much more.
SpaceX’s Vice President of Starlink Commercial Sales Jonathan Hofeller said:
“Qatar Airways continues to lead the way prioritising the passenger experience. With Starlink set to support the entire Qatar Airways fleet, passengers travelling between over 160 destinations around the world will be able to stay connected with the most advance high-speed internet service from space. In fact, as soon as passengers step onboard the plane the internet works seamlessly throughout their flight from gate to gate, and all from the comfort of their seats.”
The IFC market is set to double in the coming decade. As people becoming increasingly reliant on being connected at all times, connectivity represents a huge opportunity for airlines. It also offers has repercussions for loyalty. In a report focused on a group of mostly younger travellers, 12 per cent of those who were uncommitted to any airline loyalty programme said they would be willing to switch their allegiance in favour of high-quality inflight Wi-Fi.
As connectivity emerges as a significant opportunity to airlines, it will be interesting to see how it influences passenger behaviour.
For more like this see:
- In-Flight Connectivity. A Lucrative, Loyalty Building Opportunity
- Delta to launch free inflight Wi-Fi on 1 February 2023
- How Qatar Airways are maximising their ancillary revenue from the World Cup
