Since SpaceX first announced its intention to enter the inflight connectivity market the company made clear a key part of its vision: Passengers would not pay extra on board to use the service.
Compromises have been made in the years since. SpaceX relented, allowing airlines to put a capture portal (I dubbed it “catch-and-release portal” as it couldn’t actually capture/block a passenger from getting online) in the connection flow.
And, now, the final shoe dropped: Copa Airlines’ first Starlink-equipped aircraft entered service over the weekend, and some passengers will have to pay to get online.
Passengers holding Gold-tier or higher elite status in Copa’s ConnectMiles loyalty will have complimentary access for the service on board. So will those traveling in the business class cabin. Starlink Home and Roaming subscribers will also not be charged extra for the service on board.
But “All other passengers will be able to purchase internet access through Starlink’s onboard portal, making high-speed connectivity available to more travelers during their flight,” according to the airline’s announcement.
Also notable: The complimentary access only applies to one device for each passenger. Moreover, it only applies to the device where it is initially redeemed. The service cannot be moved to a second device, a function most other service providers developed and deployed in their portals long ago.
Being able to charge for the service was a major sticking point for some airlines. It was part of the public dust up between Musk and O’Leary earlier this year when Ryanair suggested Starlink was not the right choice for its fleet. And the Wizz Air announcement last month further raised the question, as that carrier did not specify the service would be free for its travelers (nor did it say it would be a charged service; time will tell).
If the option to charge passengers for the service becomes more broadly available it changes the calculations for many airlines considering the service. That could open up a lot more opportunities for the company, even if it also limits access to the service for some passengers.
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