Ryanair Doesn't Want Starlink Wi-Fi, And Elon Musk Can't Handle That Reality

Maybe Ryan Air is waiting for Jeff Bezos' alternative satellite network.

The irony of Musk claiming someone is “being misinformed" isn't lost here given the issues with X.
You're right through Ryanair is ultra low cost - not seen any evidence of passengers wanting internet on these flights.

Everyone "wants" internet. But Ben is right: Starlink forbids airlines charging customers for their service. Ryanair isn't interested in adding a cost they know they could resell, and being forbidden to resell it.

I think what matters to Musk most here is the claim of 2% fuel penalty. Airline companies can have all kinds of reasons not to install anything. However, if that impression of 2% fuel penalty is established it hurts Starlink. Especially the claim is quite vague and lacks evidence support. I think Musk's argument is quite reasonable and necessary to save the image of his product. His following comment on wifi attracts business is more or less advocating the product.

Good call Ryan Air. I do not understand why so many airlines have jumped on the bandwagon of this product.

The idea that this airline would provide anything free or even at a modest price is a non starter. After all this CEO claimed he wanted to have coin operated lavs. He's a bottom feeder and while Musk might have a super ego (like all the tech a holes I have encountered) at least he's into charging people for taking care of their human needs.

I don't care which provider airlines use, but, it's 2026, so, please get free, reliable WiFi to all passengers on every flight. If you're not going to have IFE screens, at least do that.

Sure, he/they are cheap. At the same time, it's opened up air travel to a lot of people that would otherwise not afford it. And they have some unique nonstops between lesser airports. I'm glad ULCCs are still around. For competition, for consumers, I wish we had more in the US as well, though, consolidation here is becoming more and more an issue.

I am a fan of WiFi on planes fan.

If other companies offer comparable service, please choose them, get it going.

Passengers want WiFi on all flights.

Yes, Elon is a major hypocrite.

No fan of any of these techbroligarchs. Still, if Jeff can offer an alternative, please, do so. And, if other companies can, the more the better. Competition here is good.

Did you not read the part where his own AI did not contradict the 2% claim?

I love the thought of Ben enjoying himself playing around on Google flights to try to come up with the most obscure Ryanair route he could think of, before settleing on Leeds to Gdansk

Internet in the air for flights under 6 hours is an element of comfort, such as is having a beverage or a snack.

Ryanair does not *offer* any element of comfort. They do *sell* some. Starlink cannot be sold as a trade up, so it's not part of their business model. The weight of a Starlink module is similar to that of a loaded airline trolley. And that weight penalty is there 100% of flights (trolleys can be loaded more or less depending on past sales statistics). So you pay 100% fuel to fly that module 100% of the time + the time and money to install it and you can't charge more the individual consumer not can you increase your ticket prices as they are already optimized.

Starlink wifi or any wifi just does not fit into their business model, it's just dilutive.

But he made his point beautifully.

1990, for the first time in my life I have to admit to having to agree with the Irish leprechaun. Although I am not hung up on inflight WiFi and would never grace an O’Leary-mobile with my patronage, it pains me to admit that the leprechaun is right in this case.

If I’m right then your assertion must be wrong, right two? …. 🙂

But 1990! Just how many Ryanair flights have you flown?

I don't think RyanAir will add wifi with any network for likely a decade or so. At that point true high speed true global coverage airline wifi will be so ubiquitous and cheap they will have no choice.

One has to be very out of touch to even think that Ryanair will pay for customer comfort. If anything, O'Leary will turn the lack of wifi into a selling point. After all, who does not want to enjoy the flight without an idiot in a next seat having a facetime call on a speaker?

It also works for Dublin-Faro which is one of the carrier's busiest routes:
Ryanair is 30 EUR non-stop
Aer Lingus 134 EUR non-stop
TAP is 162 EUR with 1h40 more journey time due to a stop in LIS (would you even make that 55min connection ?)
Would you quadruple your airfare to get "free" wifi for 2h40 ? (It's the airborne time that counts not the block time)

I am weird, but for pleasure trips I love having a break from internet on the plane so I never pay for it nor have any interest. One time in my life I get to just be lost in my own thoughts.

For business I expense wifi, but I also don't fly budget/pleasure airlines for business.

They'll both get there. One major EU lowcoster will do this and others will follow. At this point (not to mention a few years down the road), the cost of adding a terminal is pretty negligible, even for Ryanair. Musk will make the terminal even smaller. Ryanair will realize that it's become a must-have amenity, since others have it. The two will find and make sweet love, eventually.

You can hate Elon as a person but there is just absolutely no contest in flight internet right now. Once people get a taste of the gate to gate WiFi with speed and low latency…. Ryanair will capitulate. Also if easyjet starts installing them…

So many airlines will have free WiFi soon that people WILL choose airlines with free WiFi. Because people are addicted to their phones. Period.

RYR runs plenty of 4 hour+ flights. Would a €1 across the board increase on all fares not cover all RYR's costs?

Sigh, with TD one can avoid Delta articles. With 1990 he is everywhere. Dude/Miss or whatever pronoun you go by please get a life and stop commenting on every post

Mr. Musk will be fine. Space X is the most valuable privately held business and will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars when it goes public. Only a blogger looking for clicks thinks Elon really cares about RyanAir.

Most people who don’t care about Ryanair wouldn’t soend their time posting about them online,

Ken, surely you must realise that 1990, Tim and the likes are click-bait for the likes of you and me. Ben, must love the click-baiters as more clicks = points, more points = flights, more flights = more flight reviews ….. magic, win, win all round, yes?

AceQuik, normally I would agree with you. However, some of us are willing to post about Ryanair, as a way of providing Ben, with more clicks. More clicks = more flights for Ben, as a result, more flight reviews for readers to enjoy, yes?

Incorrect, Brian W. Elon is a petty bitch who cares deeply about small things. He went out of his way to mount a campaign of malignant comments about a random rescue worker who criticized him to the press. There is nothing too small for lil Elon to focus on.

AI really is not that good. At best what it can do is consolidate Google searches, at worst it can simply predict the answer it thinks the user wants. An LLM is not a useful tool for answering an engineering question like fuel burn penalty

Ben, I'm not saying your basic premise is wrong about Ryanair not needing Starlink (or any internet provider for that matter), but your snarky tone and unobjective phrasing makes you sound 100% like a Ryanair 'fanboy' (or at least a paid hack) or an Elon hater. Bring back that objective tone and you'll be back on track.

Ryanair won't add it even if they make money from it and even if Starlink would pay them for it.

They are an airline that tries any possible way to make it uncomfortable for passengers. Starting from removing the backseat pocket and putting the tray table in the worst possible place.

Yes they are cheap. But if I have an option to pay £10 more for Wizzair or even more for easyJet. I would definitely use them over Ryanair

Ryanair wanted to charge to use the toilet. Who in their right mind would think this company has any interest in keeping up with the perks that other airlines provide??

Why are we all so stupid to allow creation of a monopoly with Starlink, once everyone is linked he gets all the data, each site visited, how long etc, it’s basically he will own the consumer and their gadgets data. Why can we not wait to be back on the ground to connect?

O'Leary is gerat at saying things that attarct free publicity.

And the publicity isn't even "bad" because it helps Ryanair manage consumer expectations their product. They almost advertise the fact that their customer service is non-existant, and there are no amenities whatseoever - it's what helps define them. They compete on price and schedule alone - absolutely nothing else.

I wouldn't like to fly Ryanair, but they are incredibly successful in their chosen market and business model.

Yes, I want internet often. But, I had no idea whether Ryanair has internet on my first flight with them this summer, because, on a under 100 minute flight, I don't care. I would probably not bother logging on if they had it, and it was free.

So, you think Ryanair will choose a more expensive way to do things just the scr€w their pax? Wow.
"So, we can install these seats, they are not so uncomfortable"
"What about those?"
"Pricier and less comfortable"
"Use those"
Poppycock

Or, O'Leary thought suggesting that would get good coverage despite having no intention of doing it.

Ok, but why do something that means you have to increase fares by a dollar?

Happy with any person or company who decides not to put money in Elon Musk’s bank account.

You understand removing the seatback pocket isn't intentionally to make people uncomfortable, it is to intentionally save time cleaning and turning planes around. Same reason the safety card is glued on.

Could not agree more. Why would you want to spend more time looking at your phone when there's a window to look out of?

I know wouldn't it be great if say, Jeff Bezos used his resources to create Amazon Leo. If only they could get almost 200 satellites launched by now.
Sorry about the sarcasm, but maybe know there isn't a monopoly.

“How about…NO…Scott”

Amen to that, brother!

You suggest they cause their customers pain for no other reason than to p|ss them off?

Good analysis.

DOGE is taking care of human needs?

Another brainwashed hypocrite.

Elon's bank account is full of subsidy money and government contracts.
AKA. Your tax money.

You all are giving him money indirectly.

I contend that 1990, has never, ever set foot upon a Ryanair flight, therefore, it’s posts on this are as antidotal as my own.

Name one amenity Ryanair offers because other airlines do. The entire business model of Ryanair is based on only including the bare minimum they can get away with. They were leader in removing perks everyone else provided at the time, be it food, drinks, airport check-in, anything. I don't see why internet should be any different.

The only way Ryanair will offer internet is if they believe they can make profit by selling access.

Water is also a must-have amenity since others have it. Yet Ryanair doesn't provide it unless you pay for it.

Me, three.

Interesting. When I replied to @Andrew, there was another post basically saying, "Me, too." So, I posted my "Me, three" comment, and now after messages reloaded that 2nd post is gone? I only post this to explain the "three" part of my post.

The details are very important. Ryanair mentioned about Wifi which is nothing against Starlink itself so it is to say that they won't be installing wifi in general. They're also not wrong in that the flights are short and the wifi is probably unnecessary for the airline.

Classic American main character syndrome.