WestJet taps Starlink for fast, free inflight internet

WestJet will make inflight internet free to all passengers, thanks to a new partnership with TELUS and Starlink. The deal will see Starlink hardware installed fleetwide for the airline over the next two years.

Through our strategic partnership with TELUS, we are setting a new standard in the Canadian airline industry by offering Starlink’s revolutionary inflight connectivity, and thanks to TELUS we are able to bring this inflight experience to WestJet Rewards guests for free.

–  John Weatherill, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer

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TELUS will partner with WestJet to support the deployment of the services for passengers. The companies describe it as a long-term strategic partnership, with expectations of additional benefits to be rolled out in the months ahead. Speaking to the relationship, Zainul Mawji, Executive Vice-president and President, TELUS Consumer Solutions shared excitement about the “long-term partnership with WestJet to enhance the flying experience for guests and bring more value to WestJet Rewards members and TELUS customers, whether they are on the ground or in the air.”

Hawaiian delivers nearly flawless in-flight internet with Starlink

The WestJet/TELUS arrangement appears similar to the partnership between Air Canada and Bell Canada. That deal helps Air Canada to deliver free internet to passengers on a growing portion of its fleet.

WestJet joins Hawaiian Airlines and JSX as North American airlines that selected Starlink as an inflight connectivity provider. It is the largest confirmed customer in the region. WestJet, as with the other airlines, is promising “enough bandwidth and lowest latency internet for every guest onboard to live-stream videos or online game direct from their devices as if they were at home.”

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WestJet expects the first of its 737 to be online by the end of the year. The rollout will displace Panasonic Avionics as the IFC provider for the airline.

This deal marks the first commercial 737 to be fitted with the service, but not the first 737 overall. SpaceX’s corporate shuttle plane has been flying with the hardware since the beginning of the year.

The balance of the WestJet short-haul fleet will be deployed by the end of 2025. The wide-body fleet is expected to be fully fitted by the end of 2026. All told, the commitment represents 135 aircraft in the WestJet fleet today.

The deal brings Starlink’s aviation segment over 1,000 committed aircraft, according to Jason Fritch, SpaceX’s Vice President of Starlink Enterprise Sales.