In today’s always-connected world, it’s natural and expected to stay online, even during a flight to Hawaii. From texting with loved ones to being more productive during a long-haul flight in Hawaii, passengers now expect reliable internet access at 30,000 feet. The technological path to achieving this has taken generations of advancements, culminating in today’s announcement.
Hawaiian today has leapfrogged all competitors.
The airline has completed the long-awaited installation of its first SpaceX Starlink satellite Wi-Fi. The first commercial flight equipped with the new Wi-Fi was deployed this week. Hawaiian is the only major U.S. airline to offer this state-of-the-art satellite-based connectivity, promising a new standard of high-quality service. Starlink said in-flight service will be equal to or better than what passengers experience at home.
The deal, announced nearly two years ago, makes Hawaiian the first major airline to use the Starlink network of more than 5,000 low-orbit satellites. Hawaiian joins his more than 2 million customers who already use the service over the air.
There are no fees for Hawaiian Airlines’ new Wi-Fi service.
In the current environment, airlines often charge $8 for domestic Wi-Fi. Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways are the only U.S. airlines that offer it for free to passengers. It will be interesting to see if this changes the charges for the remaining airlines.
Since FAA approval, the airline has so far introduced the new service on six of its narrow-body A321neo aircraft. Hawaiian Airlines plans to deploy Starlink on all of its A321 and A330 aircraft by the end of the year. It will also be installed on the new Boeing 787 aircraft, which the airline plans to introduce its first aircraft to soon.
Starlink previously introduced services to California Airlines JSX and signed deals with AirBaltic, Zipair and Qatar Airways. Delta Air Lines also used Starlink to conduct research. This high-speed service offers YouTube, Netflix, and video chat at 30,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. In 2022, SpaceX held a media demonstration flight at JSX. The company was the first airline to sign up for Starlink service, but soon partnered with Hawaiian Airlines.
Hawaiian Airlines announced its plans, causing ripples in the airline industry. Two impressive factors are: 1) it’s a completely free service, and 2) it’s Starlink Airlines’ first major customer.
How has aviation satellite Wi-Fi to Hawaii evolved?
Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi – the early days.
This began with the introduction of Ku-band satellite technology, which provided the ability to provide limited internet access to passengers. Ku-band satellites have enabled reasonably high-speed Internet connectivity over land, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. Lufthansa is probably the first airline to adopt this technology.
In the United States, United Airlines was the launch airline for Ku-band, including flights to Hawaii. That was in 2013. At the time, United Airlines announced it had successfully flown a 747 around the world with continuous internet connectivity that no longer relied on the previous air-to-ground transceivers. Shortly after, they ordered his services for 300 aircraft, and the rest was history.
Panasonic’s Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi, which United Airlines installed at the time, cost passengers up to $20 per flight. The company has started installing it on its 737, 757, 777, and 787 aircraft.
As is often the case with new technology, the KU band was bandwidth-constrained, resulting in slow, unreliable service and passenger dissatisfaction (as we can attest to). The coverage tended to be patchy, which added to the annoyance.
Then came Ka-band, which had much better connectivity.
Significant improvements in speed, reliability, and bandwidth. Features like low-latency video streaming and conferencing are now possible for the first time. KA-band has dramatically improved in-flight entertainment. With a few exceptions, I’ve found KA bands to be very easy to use.
Early adopters of Ka-band include Lufthansa (Panasonic), JetBlue (ViaSat), Qantas (ViaSat/NBN), and Emorates (Inmarsat). United Airlines also embraced the transition from Ku-band to Ka-band satellite technology through partnerships with Panasonic and Viasat.
Other airlines to Hawaii, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, have also adopted Ka-band on their water flights, including to Hawaii.
Are you looking forward to Hawaiian’s new era of free satellite Wi-Fi?
