Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    The White House just joined TikTok

    August 19, 2025

    Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts

    August 19, 2025

    Google Gemini can now read your Docs aloud

    August 19, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Airplane Wi-Fi Is Now … Good?
    Business

    Airplane Wi-Fi Is Now … Good?

    News RoomBy News RoomJuly 2, 20253 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Expensive and erratic, in-flight Wi-Fi has been more of a punchline than a pipeline over the past decade. But 2025 has marked a sea change for the skies: the rollout of fast, and free, connectivity on most of the world’s major airlines.

    Satellite technology has enabled leaps in speed and bandwidth. SpaceX’s Starlink network of low Earth orbit satellites, for example, can deliver a connection capable of downloading more than 200 megabits per second—twice as fast as most basic home internet plans. As a result, a host of global airlines are inking deals with the company.

    “We’re creating a little bit of a living room in the sky,” says Grant Milstead, vice president of digital technology for United Airlines, which flew its first Starlink-equipped route, from Chicago to Detroit, in May.

    The boost in bandwidth is changing the face of business travel, giving flyers the unprecedented ability to Slack, Zoom, and collaborate with coworkers from 35,000 feet. They can download lengthy PowerPoints, edit Google Docs in real time, and join livestream conferences as seamlessly as on the ground. (Voice and video calls are technically possible with satellite technology but prohibited by the FAA and “strongly discouraged” by airlines around the world from an etiquette standpoint.)

    It’s a shift that’s felt, at times, like it would never come. For most of the 21st century, airlines relied on ground-based cell towers that provided slow, or no, coverage over rural areas, deserts, and oceans—a problem for carriers such as Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines. Launched in 2008, Aircell, which would later become known as Gogo Inflight, offered a pricey yet spotty air-to-ground service that served as the stodgy industry standard.

    Then, in 2013, JetBlue partnered with Viasat to pioneer the use of satellites for in-flight Wi-Fi. Though faster and more reliable than Gogo, satellite-based connectivity was slow to take off—an expensive endeavor requiring affixing an antenna to the top of the plane and placing routers throughout the aircraft.

    Major carriers such as Delta and Cathay Pacific signed on with the provider several years later, but the advent of Starlink has curtailed Viasat’s first-mover advantage. Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France have adopted or are in talks to potentially pilot test Starlink technology, as have Canada’s WestJet and US-based charter operator JSX.

    This story is part of The New Era of Work Travel, a collaboration between the editors of WIRED and Condé Nast Traveler to help you navigate the perks and pitfalls of the modern business trip.

    Air New Zealand, which uses Viasat for its transpacific flights, plans to equip its domestic fleet with Starlink service later this year. The move will be a “game-changer” for business travelers who might typically drive between hubs such as Auckland and Wellington, according to Nikhil Ravishankar, the airline’s chief digital officer.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleBlizzard cancels all new content for its tower defense mobile game Warcraft Rumble in light of recent heavy layoffs at parent company Microsoft.
    Next Article Racist videos made with AI are going viral on TikTok

    Related Posts

    Silicon Valley Is Panicking About Zohran Mamdani. NYC’s Tech Scene Is Not

    August 19, 2025

    How Microschools Became the Latest Tech Mogul Obsession

    August 19, 2025

    WIRED Roundup: Why GPT-5 Flopped

    August 19, 2025

    Teachers Are Trying to Make AI Work for Them

    August 19, 2025

    Developers Say GPT-5 Is a Mixed Bag

    August 18, 2025

    Why Trump Flip-Flopped on Nvidia Selling H20 Chips to China

    August 15, 2025
    Our Picks

    Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts

    August 19, 2025

    Google Gemini can now read your Docs aloud

    August 19, 2025

    Google announced the next step in its nuclear energy plans 

    August 19, 2025

    Apple is reportedly making more of its new iPhones in India instead of China

    August 19, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    Security

    Russia Is Cracking Down on End-to-End Encrypted Calls

    By News RoomAugust 19, 2025

    WIRED copublished an investigation this week with The Markup and CalMatters showing that dozens of…

    One of Our Favorite Graphics Cards Is Finally on Sale for MSRP and Comes With ‘Borderlands 4’

    August 19, 2025

    The Tweens Down Under: Life Without Social Media in Australia

    August 19, 2025

    Meta’s AI translation tool can dub your Instagram videos

    August 19, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.