All Alaska 787s to have Starlink by end of this year

Alaska Airlines is stepping up its rollout of superfast Starlink Wi-Fi, with every Boeing 787-9 due to be upgraded by year’s end.

“We’re going to install them on the 787s very quickly,” says Alex Judson, who heads Partnerships & International for Alaska Airlines.

The Seattle-based carrier already has five Dreamliners on deck, “and number six comes in the fall,” Judson told Executive Traveller on the sidelines of a media event in Honolulu marking Hawaiian Airlines’ entry into the Oneworld alliance.

“All five will have (Starlink) installed by the end of the year, and then the sixth one will have it as well.”

Alaska’s entire regional fleet of Embraer 175s already sports Starlink, “and we’re making our way through the Max 8s right now”, Judson elaborates.

“Our maintenance team has done a phenomenal job” on the refits, “and it’s something we are just so excited to be able to deliver a product that continues to be ‘best in class’.”

Alaska has given a Pacific Northwest spin to Hawaiian's 787 business class.

Alaska plans to bring 17 Boeing 787s into its fleet, creating a network of “12 long-haul destinations from Seattle by 2030,” Judson says – with non-stop flights to London, Rome, Tokyo and Seoul already on the network map.

Could Sydney or Melbourne join them?

“We’re constantly looking at opportunities to expand,” Judson offers in guarded reply.

“We’re looking at where our guests want to fly from Seattle, so it’s something that we’re continuously evaluating.”

“What I will say is that we have a lot of great places on our shortlist.”

Also read: New Oneworld lounges coming to New York JFK in 2026

David Flynn travelled to Honolulu as a guest of Hawaiian Airlines and Oneworld.