Starlink is no longer free on every airline

“Fast and free” has always been the banner-cry of Starlink Wi-Fi, but that’s now changing.

The fast part will thankfully remain, with passengers continuing to enjoy speeds of 50-250Mbps across the Starlink network of low-Earth orbit ‘micro-satellites’.

But a number of airlines will be attaching a price tag to stay connected above the clouds.

This includes Panama-based Copa Airlines and low-cost Spanish airlines Level and Vueling, although none have yet released pricing.

However, Copa – which will roll out Starlink across its 100-strong Boeing 737 fleey by the first quarter of 2027 – says the service will be complimentary for business class passengers and top-tier frequent flyers in its ConnectMiles rewards program.

Copa Airlines will soon charge passengers to use Starlink.

Interestingly, passengers holding a Starlink Residential or Starlink Roam subscription “will also receive complimentary onboard access.”

Level and Vueling are budget arms of IAG and thus siblings to British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, which as full-service carriers will see Starlink offered free to all passengers.

Starlink has previously championed a completely frictionless experience for airlines, without sign-up screens or even advertising: just connect to the airplane’s Wi-Fi hotspot and start browsing, emailing, chatting, streaming or whatever.

United Airlines was the first to change that protocol, with passengers required to log in using their MileagePlus membership number.

To use Starlink on a UA flight, you'll need to be a member of its MileagePlus loyalty program.

Review: United Airlines Boeing 737 Starlink Wi-Fi

An executive from Starlink parent company SpaceX flagged the shift to passenger segmentation and paid Starlink access during a panel discussion at the Las Vegas Consumer Electrnics Show in January this year.

“It’ll be specific to each brand, some brands will handle it differently,” said Nick Seitz, who heads Starlink’s aviation business.

This will include showing advertisements to users before they can click the Connect button.

"I would say that personalization is the holy grail of commercialization," Seitz said.

"For an advertiser, they want to know who exactly it is sitting in that seat, and who they’re advertising to.

The cost to airlines of ‘free’ Starlink access can easily become a multi-million dollar exercise, depending on the size of their fleet.

Starlink is also doubling monthly fees for private and business jets, from US$10,000 per month for its worldwide Aviation Jet Unlimited tier to US$20,000.