Frontier Airlines to Install Starlink Wi-Fi Across Entire Fleet by Early 2027
Denver-based carrier joins growing list of North American airlines to opt for the SpaceX service. Frontier Airlines is to install SpaceX's Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi service on its entire fleet as part of a programme that will see five Indigo Partners-backed carriers equip more than 1,000 aircraft with the system. European budget carrier Wizz Air, Mexico's Volaris, Latin America's JetSmart and Philippines-based Cebu Pacific will also install Starlink on their aircraft. "Starlink will provide our portfolio airlines with reliable, high-speed connectivity," says Indigo Partners managing partner Bill Franke. A Frontier spokesperson confirms to FlightGlobal that all 183 of the carrier's Airbus A320s and A321s will be equipped with Starlink. The first Starlink-equipped aircraft is scheduled to launch in early 2027. Further details on how long the full roll-out will take are still "to come", adds the spokesperson. Frontier becomes the latest in a string of North American carriers to select SpaceX's low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based in-flight connectivity service . Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, WestJet and charter carrier JSX have all opted to install Starlink across their fleets. Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways, meanwhile, have both selected Amazon's competing Leo service. Frontier says it will be the first US carrier to offer passengers access to Starlink through "a new service managed directly by Starlink". FlightGlobal has approached SpaceX for more information about this service. Starlink uses a network of LEO satellites to provide low-latency global coverage, including across polar regions. Both Starlink and Amazon Leo have been taking market share from incumbent satellite providers , which have traditionally focused on satellites in geostationary orbit. Those providers are increasingly offering multi-orbit solutions to airlines in response.