While dozens of airlines around the globe have adopted Starlink’s high-speed Wi-Fi as their latest in-flight amenity, one major carrier has noticeably rejected the product.
In March, Delta Air Lines announced it had instead opted to install Amazon Leo Wi-Fi across an initial 500 aircraft, starting in 2028.
“This agreement gives us the fastest and most cost-effective technology available to better connect the world today,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said at the time.
Aviation blogs are reporting that at least one reason that Bastian didn’t choose Starlink is allegedly because he didn’t want to be attached to Musk.
Now Musk is hitting back at Bastian over the decision.
“He will lose his job over this,” Musk wrote in a post on X in response to reports over Bastian’s alleged comments.
“Delta will lose a lot of customers,” Musk wrote in another X reply.
Just one other major airline, JetBlue, has so far decided to use Amazon Leo for its next phase of in-flight connectivity.
Similar to Starlink, Amazon Leo aims to offer faster, more reliable Wi-Fi through an intricate constellation of satellites in low orbit around Earth.
However, Amazon’s service has not yet launched. That will put Delta behind competitors like United, which has been rolling out Starlink-equipped aircraft at a steady clip and plans to have its entire fleet outfitted with the ultra-fast Wi-Fi by the end of 2027.
In recent years, passengers have come to expect access to fast, free Wi-Fi on their flights, with nearly 80% of fliers considering the amenity “essential to their journey,” according to a Viasat survey from 2024.
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