In recent times, we’ve seen many airlines announce plans to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi. There’s some good news for European aviation, as Lufthansa Group has revealed that it’s going in this direction as well…
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Starlink coming to Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, etc.
Lufthansa Group has announced plans to introduce free Starlink Wi-Fi across all planes on all member airlines. So this includes 850+ planes, including those belonging to Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss, etc. Starlink will be free for all passengers who have a Miles & More Travel ID, which is free to register for.
As it currently stands, Starlink is expected to be introduced as of the second half of 2026, and the rollout should be complete by some point in 2029. However, the timeline beyond that remains a mystery, so we don’t know in what order airlines and airplanes will get the new service.
Starlink is known for its high-speed, low-latency broadband internet, and the service will be offered gate to gate. Starlink Wi-Fi will allow 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, British Airways, Emirates, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, SAS, United, Virgin Atlantic, and WestJet, all announce plans to install the service.
Here’s how Lufthansa Group Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx describes this development:
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers. Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers.”
This is great news, but we’ll have to be patient
Admittedly Lufthansa Group is the last of the “big three” European airline groups to announce plans to roll out Starlink Wi-Fi. However, what makes Lufthansa Group special here is that the company is rolling out Starlink across all airlines and fleets.
That’s different than Air France-KLM (where it’s not planned for KLM or Transavia, as of now) or IAG (where it’s not planned for Aer Lingus or Vueling, as of now). So it’s nice to see that Lufthansa Group is planning this level of consistency.
Admittedly a lot of patience will be required, as the rollout is expected to take over three years. My hope at least is that Lufthansa Group works through each airline pretty quickly, to create some consistency.
One would think the priority will be the two “flagship” airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS, since that’s where the company is most hoping to compete among premium customers. At the same time, those are also the airlines that currently have the best Wi-Fi systems. Meanwhile carriers like Brussels Airlines don’t offer Wi-Fi at all, so are really most in need of connectivity, but also don’t really have premium positioning.
Bottom line
Lufthansa Group has plans to roll out free Starlink Wi-Fi across airlines, so that includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels, ITA, Eurowings, Edelweiss, etc. The service will be introduced as of the second half of 2026, with rollout expected to be completed by 2029.
While Lufthansa Group is the last of the “big three” European carriers to announce Starlink plans, the company is unique for intending to introduce the service across all carriers.
What do you make of Lufthansa Group’s Starlink announcement?
Credit where credit is due to, Lufthansa. Finally others are following DL, B6, etc. and actually providing similar services. Every airline should do this. It’s 2026. The technology is available. Free, reliable WiFi for all passengers on every flight should be a baseline for commercial aviation, regardless of whether legacy carrier, LCC, or ULCC, all included.
Unless someone comes with a reliable way to prevent people from making calls or playing loud music on planes, this is a negative development. I love being connected but I love travelling in peace more.
It can be done via software. It’s not hard. (They have to want to enforce that, though.)
Amazon is purportedly working on an alternative satellite network. All things being equal, I'd rather pay Jeff Bezos than Elon Musk.
Ok, but, like, do we American taxpayers need to subsidize each of them and their companies, still, if they are already so profitable and wealthy? Same goes for oil and gas, big pharma, etc. OR, if we’re gonna keep subsidizing them, can we just please have some universal healthcare, at a minimum?
This is one upgrade I really don't care about. I'm very happy to be without a connection in the skies.
I don't like connecting to WiFi on planes anyway, since flying provides one of the last refuges from permanent connectivity. That said, I *definitely* wouldn't connect to the provider run by the guy who spent the first few months of 2025 stealing massive amounts of government and personal data. I'll check my email when I land and can connect through a provider with some actual internal standards, thanks.
And this will be implemented together with the Allegris refit, so all planes should be completed by 2049.
Still better than Finnair’s awful business class seats that don’t partially recline… and if AY fails, you get stuck in HEL… (at least you’ve got moomin…)