Hawaiian Airlines will use Starlink on some of its flights

Hawaiian Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the United States, is going to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi on some of its flights. Thus, the airline's passengers will be able to watch streaming videos, play games, and use other features even while traveling across the Pacific Ocean.

The airline said that Wi-Fi connection will be free and available after boarding the aircraft. It is noted that Starlink will be introduced on some A321neo aircraft, which will be activated over the coming months, Maui Now reports.

Will Seidel, director of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, said that the installed terminals will allow aircraft to receive a powerful and fast Internet signal from satellites when Hawaiian planes cross the Pacific Ocean. He noted that Hawaiian and Starlink have conducted real-world flight tests to evaluate the connectivity under different conditions. In addition, they worked with the FAA to make sure they met flight safety standards.

"When we completed the ground and flight tests on the first A321neo, the FAA certified Starlink for use on the rest of Hawaiian's A321neo aircraft, as well as any other A321neo aircraft," said Seidel.

The airline is currently planning to expand its cooperation with Starlink. Thus, by the spring of 2024, the terminals are to be installed on all of its 18 A321neo aircraft, by the end of the year on A330 aircraft, and later on the new Boeing 787-9 flagship aircraft.