In recent times, we’ve increasingly seen airlines roll out Starlink Wi-Fi, which is fantastic for passengers, given the unrivaled connectivity speeds, along with most airlines offering the service for free. Along those lines, one of Europe’s largest low cost carriers has just revealed plans to introduce Starlink, so that’s pretty exciting.
EasyJet will offer Starlink Wi-Fi on all aircraft
EasyJet has announced that it will introduce Starlink Wi-Fi, with the rollout expected to take place between the first half of 2027 and early 2028. The airline currently operates a fleet of over 350 aircraft, and the expectation is that Starlink will be installed on all Airbus A320s, A320neos, and A321neos.
It’s worth flagging is that EasyJet currently has over 80 A319s, and those won’t be getting Starlink, as the plan is for them to be retired by 2029. So while installation will be complete by 2028, it’ll be some point in 2029 before all active planes actually have Starlink.
Now, here’s the catch — while most airlines that have introduced Starlink are offering the service to passengers for free, that’s not consistently the case. EasyJet’s announcement doesn’t reference the service being free, so I think it’s likely that this service will be available for purchase, or at least only complimentary for select passengers. I’m curious to see what the pricing model is like.
Either way, this is quite the inflight connectivity upgrade, given that EasyJet currently doesn’t offer any sort of connectivity. So to go from nothing to Starlink is quite impressive! The airline describes this investment as being a key step to enhancing the passenger experience, while also aiming to attract more business and leisure travelers by offering more of the services that they want.
Here’s how EasyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis describes this:
“In an increasingly digital world, staying connected matters more than ever to many of our customers, whether that’s holidaymakers looking to unwind with inflight entertainment, or our business customers keeping up to speed with what’s happening on the ground.”
“Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA and partnering with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed internet connectivity onboard for the first time will not only further enhance the experience we provide millions of customers, but means we are offering more of the options both business and leisure travellers want when they choose who they fly with.”
“Giving customers the opportunity to get online in the air will mean even greater choice and convenience when you fly with easyJet. Ultimately, it’s yet another way we’re making travel easy.”
EasyJet is differentiating itself from Ryanair here
Ryanair is Europe’s largest low cost carrier, and it’s also one of the world’s highest margin airlines. Admittedly it’s not fair to directly compare Ryanair and EasyJet, as they have slightly different business models. However, there’s no denying that they’re in the same competitive set.
With EasyJet now signing up for Starlink, I think it’s interesting to point out how Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary insists that Ryanair won’t be getting inflight Wi-Fi any time soon. Ryanair is all about the bottom line, and as O’Leary explained, “we don’t think our passengers are willing to pay for Wi-Fi for an average one-hour flight.”
Earlier in the year this stance enraged Elon Musk, and he ended up getting into a public spat with O’Leary, even threatening to buy Ryanair.
Ryanair held its own, though, and ended up launching a “Big Idiot Seat Sale,” for “Elon Musk and any other idiots on X.”
Anyway, Ryanair is a very disciplined airline, so I’m curious to see how that situation evolves. Will there be a point when even the most price conscious customers value Starlink, or will the airline keep its planes without connectivity in the long run?
Bottom line
EasyJet plans to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi as of the first half of 2027, with installation complete by early 2028. While Starlink is coming to all planes that will remain in the fleet in the long run, A319s are being retired by 2029, so won’t get Starlink. The major caveat here is that it sounds like EasyJet will be charging for Starlink, as the announcement makes no reference to it being free.
Either way, it’s cool to see truly high speed internet increasingly becoming the norm on flights, even on budget carriers, as this is such a nice boost to the passenger experience.
What do you make of EasyJet’s Starlink Wi-Fi plans? And do you think Ryanair will ever reverse course?
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