American Is Betting Its Whole Fleet on Starlink

American Airlines has said it will put Starlink satellite internet on every aircraft in its mainline fleet, widening an earlier commitment. In May 2026 the airline had said it would equip about 500 narrowbody jets. The new language covers the whole mainline operation, which includes more than 1,000 aircraft.

According to the report, installations begin in early 2027. The fleet breaks down into more than 500 Airbus narrowbodies, around 400 Boeing narrowbodies and more than 130 Boeing widebodies, so the project spans everything from short domestic hops to long-haul flights. The airline has not said how long it will take to finish.

The equipment is Starlink’s Performance Aero Terminal, which can deliver speeds of up to 1 Gbps per terminal. Starlink is a SpaceX subsidiary, and American joins other carriers already using it, including United, Southwest, Alaska and Air Canada. The announcement did not say what passengers will pay for the Wi-Fi, if anything.

For travelers, the open questions are price and timing: which aircraft get the hardware first and whether access is free or fee-based. Those details will decide how much the change matters on any given flight. Until the installations start in 2027, the Wi-Fi on most American flights will stay as it is today.

Sources: AirlineGeeks, Neowin