Starlink Becomes the Fastest In-Flight Internet Service by Far

Metaverse Planet July 9, 2025Last Updated: July 25, 2025

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SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is gaining increasing adoption by airlines. Reaching speeds of up to 254 Mbps, Starlink has managed to significantly outpace its competitors.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service has considerably boosted the Wi-Fi internet speeds of airlines. Operating with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, Starlink holds the position of the largest satellite internet network.

Initially, Starlink began its service targeting regions with poor internet access. Over time, it has found its place in the maritime and airline sectors. For example, many airlines such as JSX, Hawaiian Airlines, and Qatar Airways currently use Starlink service. United Airlines will also join this list soon. On the maritime side, Royal Caribbean has partnered with SpaceX to integrate Starlink into its ships.

Unlike traditional satellite internet providers, Starlink uses LEO satellites. This allows for faster data transfer and lower latency between the user and the satellite.

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Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways Lead the Pack

According to data shared by Ookla, Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways led in in-flight internet speeds in the first quarter of 2025. The highest speeds achieved on these two airlines were 276 Mbps and 236 Mbps, respectively. The median speeds were recorded as 161 Mbps for Hawaiian Airlines and 120 Mbps for Qatar Airways. The lowest speeds were 57 Mbps and 15 Mbps, respectively.

As a significant detail, Hawaiian Airlines’ median internet speed was almost double that of Spirit Airlines, which ranked third. However, Spirit Airlines uses another internet provider called Hughes instead of Starlink. Hughes primarily operates with Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) satellites, but also offers partial LEO support.

Starlink Is the Undisputed Leader

Looking at the overall picture, Starlink is the undisputed leader in in-flight internet speeds. Starlink’s median speed is 152 Mbps, while the median speed of the second-ranked Hughes is only 84 Mbps. Furthermore, Starlink was the only service to achieve speeds exceeding 200 Mbps, reaching up to 254 Mbps in the data. In terms of latency, Starlink also leads with 44 milliseconds. This means a performance approximately 15 times better than MTN’s latency of 667 milliseconds, which is in second place.