Here’s how you can get free airplane Wi-Fi that doesn’t suck
Starlink has been trickling out to global airlines, but its rollout to British Airways and co means it's easier to get good Wi-Fi in the sky
If you’ve ever tried to get anything done on a flight with the current state of airline Wi-Fi, you’ll know the experience sits somewhere between watching paint dry and banging your head against the wall.
British Airways clearly got the memo, because from 2026, the airline will start handing out free Wi-Fi that doesn’t suck. And not just in First Class either – even passengers in Economy will get it. Yes, free Wi-Fi for all, and it’s not the kind that gives you three kilobytes per second and a passive-aggressive login screen.
How? The airline’s parent company, IAG, has inked a deal with Starlink. That’s Elon’s lot with the space lasers. It uses the same system that powers Starlink on the ground. Starlink has a network of more than 650 satellites whizzing around in low-Earth orbit, acting like mobile towers in the sky.
Airlines have been strapping these satellite dishes to planes for a while now. United, Hawaiian, Alaska, airBaltic, Air France, Qatar Airways, and WestJet already have it. SAS, Air New Zealand and JSX are queuing up too. And now British Airways is next in line.
That includes more than 500 planes across the IAG fleet, including Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling. Each airline will decide when and how to roll it out. You won’t need a login, you can connect multiple devices, and it’ll work from gate to gate, even over the oceans where regular Wi-Fi tends to crawl to a halt or vanish entirely. Many users have shared speeds of hundreds of Mbps while in the air. In fact, it can be faster than Starlink is on the ground, since you’re closer to the satellites – and I already get 250Mbps on the ground.
Until now, BA’s approach has been a bit more… traditional. You get free messaging if you’re in the airline’s loyalty club, but actual browsing and streaming cost between £4.99 and £21.99. Unless you fly in First Class, in which case, congrats on the free Wi-Fi and your second glass of pre-flight champagne.
The rollout starts next year across more than 500 aircraft, with full availability on British Airways and its partners in 2026.
Connor Jewiss
