Southwest Airlines Debuts Starlink Wi-Fi

Southwest Airlines saw its first Starlink-equipped aircraft enter service on Monday.

The milestone flight traveled from Dallas to Albuquerque, allowing passengers to experience the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky for the first time.

Joining rival United Airlines, Southwest's Starlink-equipped aircraft allow travelers to stream content at 4K speeds without having to download ahead of time. They can also play live games, watch live sports, share and edit documents, upload large files, scroll endlessly, shop, make reservations and more.

Southwest's Wi-Fi, including Starlink service where available, is free to passengers who are enrolled in the airline's Rapid Rewards program.

"Starlink delivers a new era of inflight connectivity to Southwest," the airline's Chief Customer & Brand Officer Tony Roach said in a statement. "Starting with this first aircraft, we will be rapidly integrating Starlink into our fleet this year. This ultra-fast Wi-Fi brings an at-home experience to the air and redefines how customers can stay connected, be productive, and make the most of their time while flying at 35,000 feet."

Southwest will begin retrofitting more aircraft with Starlink this summer. In the meantime, travelers can track the carrier's first Starlink aircraft with the tail number N8543Z.

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