Starting in early 2027, American Airlines will bring Starlink satellite Wi-Fi aboard its Airbus narrowbody fleet, with the rollout covering more than 500 aircraft flying domestic and short-haul international routes, the carrier announced Tuesday.
The rollout will cover American's Airbus narrowbody aircraft, including new A321XLR and A321neo deliveries, the company said. Neither company released pricing details for the arrangement, Reuters noted. Boeing $BA jets in American's fleet, which are currently served by Viasat and Panasonic, will not see a provider switch in the near term, a company spokesman told CNBC.
"American is committed to elevating every aspect of our customers' travel journeys, which in the air means keeping them connected and comfortable with the assurance they won't have to download documents ahead of a flight or worry about lag time," American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said in a statement. "We are excited to bring an at-home level of Wi-Fi experience to our narrowbody fleet."
Jason Fritch, vice president of Starlink enterprise sales at SpaceX, said in a statement that Starlink would deliver "fast and reliable internet to passengers and crew" gate to gate.
The decision came after months of deliberation — as late as March, American had still been weighing Starlink against Amazon $AMZN Leo before settling on the SpaceX option. Among other major carriers, United, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines had already committed to Starlink, while Delta went a different direction in March, announcing a deal with Amazon Leo to equip hundreds of its jets beginning in 2028.
The deal fits into American's broader push to attract higher-spending travelers. The airline has positioned itself as a premium global carrier, pointing to growth in its AAdvantage loyalty program and co-branded credit card spending as central to its strategy. Free in-flight connectivity became available to AAdvantage members in January, a perk that United, Delta, and several other airlines had already introduced. At the close of the first quarter, Reuters noted that 885 of the airline's 1,022 mainline aircraft were narrowbody jets.
The announcement comes as American navigates a difficult cost environment. The carrier cut its full-year 2026 earnings forecast in April, projecting adjusted earnings per share between a loss of $0.40 and a profit of $1.10, down from its January forecast, as fuel costs weigh on margins. Despite those pressures, premium cabin revenue and managed corporate bookings continued to outperform in the first quarter.
Starlink is a significant revenue source for SpaceX, which is preparing for an initial public offering. Figures disclosed in SpaceX's IPO filing showed the unit brought in $11.39 billion during 2025, a sum that amounted to 61% of the company's overall revenue, CNBC reported.