In September 2024, Air France announced plans to introduce free high speed Wi-Fi throughout its fleet, reinforcing its position as Europe’s most premium global airline (along with all of its other product investments).
Last week, I covered how the rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi has officially started. Air France has now put out a press release not only confirming this, but sharing an update on the timeline with which this service is expected to be available on all aircraft.
In this post:
Air France introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi fleetwide
Air France has signed an agreement with SpaceX, to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi throughout its fleet. Best of all, Air France plans to offer Starlink Wi-Fi for free for all members of its Flying Blue loyalty program (which is free to sign-up for), and members can connect with multiple devices.
Starlink is known for its high speed, low latency broadband internet, and the service is available gate to gate. Starlink Wi-Fi allows for live streaming, productivity similar to on the ground (with high upload and download speeds), gaming, e-commerce, and more.
Starlink is becoming increasingly popular with airlines. So far we’ve seen carriers like airBaltic, Air France, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, SAS, United, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet, all announce plans to install the service.
What’s also great about Starlink is that the installation process is pretty quick, once aircraft are certified to have it installed.
Air France’s Starlink Wi-Fi rollout schedule
When Air France announced it would introduce Starlink Wi-Fi, the airline stated that the rollout would start as of the summer of 2025, and that turned out to be accurate.
Air France has officially started its Starlink Wi-Fi rollout. So far, we’ve seen Starlink introduced on a couple of Airbus A220s and HOP Embraer E190s, so those are the first planes to get the new service. On top of that, the expectation is that the first Airbus A350 will get Starlink Wi-Fi in the coming days, while the first Boeing 777 will get Starlink Wi-Fi as of some point this fall.
For the first time, Air France has also shared a timeline for when this project is expected to be completed. The expectation is that 30% of the fleet will have Starlink by the end of 2025, and the entire fleet will have Starlink by the end of 2026. That’s a pretty aggressive timeline, so that’s excellent news.
During the transitional period, Air France will continue to offer its existing Wi-Fi plans, which include a free messaging pass for Flying Blue members, plus paid Wi-Fi options for all others, as well as those looking for internet surfing and streaming. Air France La Premiere (first class) and Flying Blue Ultimate customers will continue to receive complimentary Wi-Fi during this transition period.
Bottom line
Air France is introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi for Flying Blue members. The installation process has now started, with Airbus A220s and HOP Embraer E190s being the first to get this service. In the coming weeks, we can expect to see the first wide body planes with Starlink. Air France expects to have Starlink on 30% of its fleet by the end of 2025, and on its entire fleet by the end of 2026.
It’s awesome to see that free high speed Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming an industry standard. I’m also delighted to see Air France be the first global European carrier to introduce this service. I’m not surprised, as the airline is definitely the most focused on being premium.
What do you make of Air France introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi?
Got to use Starlink for the first time on HA a little over a week ago and it was an eye-opening experience. Hopeful I’ll be able to use it on my upcoming QR and AF flights in February And April.
Elon Musk is a Nazi.
For sure, but his company share price probably funds a large percentage of the Points redemptions enjoyed by users of this blog.
Probably a very accurate statement UncleRonnie, however, their offspring must be bunking off school today to post nonsense herein.