WestJet pivots to Starlink to support free Wi-Fi for loyalty members
- by Runway Girl
- Jul 24, 2024
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WestJet has announced plans to bring SpaceX’s Ku-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-powered Starlink Aviation broadband connectivity to its Boeing 737 narrowbodies and Boeing 787 widebodies — and offer the service for free to members of its loyalty program.
The news is a blow to WestJet’s longtime incumbent provider Panasonic Avionics, which supports the Canadian operator’s pay-per-usage onboard Internet service with a legacy Ku-band geostationary (GEO) satcom solution. Panasonic has also seen customer ZIPAIR announce plans to defect to Starlink.
“This new platform will take flight before the end of 2024, with plans to complete the installation on WestJet’s modern narrowbody fleet by the end of 2025,” reveals WestJet in a statement. “All widebody aircraft are planned to be upgraded by the end of 2026.”
Financial terms have not been disclosed but the arrangement will see the free Wi-Fi service sponsored by Canadian telco TELUS and delivered by Starlink under a multi-year strategic partnership that WestJet promises “will transform the inflight experience for WestJet guests” and set “a new standard in the Canadian airline industry”.
Access to the new inflight service will be exclusively provided to WestJet Rewards members free of charge. The low-latency LEO satcom-based IFC solution will enable every guest onboard “to live-stream videos or online game direct from their devices as if they were at home”, says WestJet.
Headquartered in Calgary, WestJet is largely a Boeing 737 operator, flying a mixture of 737NGs and MAX twinjets. But it also operates seven Boeing 787s.
During the late-May Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, SpaceX revealed that 700-plus aircraft had committed to Starlink. That figure has rocketed up to over 1,000 aircraft, including through this latest WestJet arrangement, and new large-cabin business jet deals.
“With more than 1,000 aircraft committed to Starlink worldwide, high-speed, low-latency Internet is the future of aviation connectivity and we’re excited to work with WestJet to bring Starlink technology to their guests in the coming months,” says SpaceX vice president of Starlink Enterprise Sales Jason Fritch in a statement.
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