If you’ve been following announcements from various airlines in the last two years, you may have noticed a trend: airlines announcing partnerships with satellite internet providers like Project Kuiper and Starlink. The latest airline to sign on with one such provider is Aer Lingus, who announced this week that it would begin offering free wifi via Starlink across its fleet.
There are a few reasons for this: presumably, working with tech companies for their wifi means that airlines can let someone else handle the logistical work of keeping passengers connected. For travelers, free and fast wifi can make for a compelling selling point when choosing an airline. But there’s another factor that this industry shift has also heralded: widespread fast and free wifi is also changing the way travelers experience in-flight entertainment.
In a recent article for The Hollywood Reporter, Alex Weprin explored the latest region where rival technology companies are facing off. In other words, as Weprin phrases it, “The streaming wars will soon take to the skies.” What does that translate to in practice? Weprin points to United planning to offer 4K video in the near future, as well as an arrangement with Spotify that lets travelers access their own playlists while airborne.
United Airlines’ chief customer officer David Kinzelman told THR that the airline was “looking to redefine what is possible with the online experience.” That could mean more access to movies or music — or it could allow more people to get work done while traveling.
There are other factors at play there as well, including seat pitch. And, presumably, if airlines seek to get more travelers to use their own devices for fast connections, there could be increased demand for in-flight device charging options. The experience of air travel is constantly changing, and it seems increasingly likely that the advent of fast satellite internet could herald more changes than one might expect.
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