American Airlines Taps Starlink for Inflight Wi-Fi on 500+ Aircraft

American Airlines will become yet another travel company to use Starlink for its onboard Wi-Fi.

American announced on Tuesday that it plans to retrofit more than 500 of its narrowbody Airbus aircraft with Starlink and to install the service on all of the incoming deliveries of its Airbus A321XLR and A321neo aircraft. Those jets typically cover American’s domestic and short-haul international routes.

The installations are scheduled to begin in Q1 2027. The upgrade will allow passengers to stream, game, and access live video collaboration tools gate-to-gate without the typical satellite lag.

“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want,” said American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden. “The addition of Starlink solidifies American as a leading airline in keeping passengers connected in flight.”

For its widebody, long-haul international fleet (such as its Boeing 777s and the majority of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners), American Airlines primarily relies on Panasonic Avionics for inflight Wi-Fi and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Still, Starlink has quickly become the go-to Wi-Fi provider for airlines and cruise lines—American, with the move, joins United Airlines, Southwest, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet, along with Royal Caribbean Group cruise lines, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings cruise lines, and MSC, Virgin Voyages, Disney Cruise Line, and Viking, all of which are currently using Starlink satellites for Wi-Fi.

The only major U.S. airline not using or planning to use Starlink is now Delta Air Lines, which currently runs its Wi-Fi through Viasat’s traditional satellites and also plans to install Amazon Leo high-speed Wi-Fi on an initial 500 aircraft, with the rollout beginning in 2028.