JetBlue to upgrade Wi-Fi with fast new Amazon-powered satellite service
The first U.S. airline to offer free inflight Wi-Fi to all passengers is giving its on-board service a big upgrade.
JetBlue on Thursday said it will partner with Amazon's Project Kuiper to outfit some of its planes with faster connectivity powered by low-Earth-orbit satellites.
The move will give JetBlue high-speed on-board internet that uses similar satellite technology to Starlink — the high-speed service that's currently available (or soon to be available) on a growing list of U.S. airlines, from United Airlines to Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Passengers on planes equipped with the new technology should be able to work, stream shows and YouTube videos, or perform essentially any other online function they would at home.
The New York-based carrier will be the first airline in the world to sign on to Amazon's new Project Kuiper broadband network, a $10 billion investment that has the company deploying thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit.
The carrier expects to install the higher-caliber service on roughly a quarter of its fleet beginning in 2027.
"This is not just about faster internet — although, yes, it will definitely be faster," JetBlue president Marty St. George said on a call with reporters. "It's about ensuring our customers have the best connectivity possible."
Installations should wrap up by 2028, St. George said. The carrier does not currently have plans to outfit additional planes with the technology. So, as of now, the plan is that the service will be available on about a quarter of JetBlue aircraft.
JetBlue's 'next evolution' of Fly-Fi
JetBlue first deployed its "Fly-Fi" service in 2013, and offered it free to customers long before complimentary on-board connectivity became a distinct trend across the airline industry.
In recent years, Delta Air Lines, United and Hawaiian have moved to add free on-board Wi-Fi. American Airlines said it will make its service free in 2026, and Alaska just announced it will soon do the same. Southwest Airlines has been testing whether its bandwidth can support making its service free for customers.
JetBlue, for its part, has dubbed its Amazon Wi-Fi tie-up the "next evolution" of its Fly-Fi service, which will remain free to customers, the airline confirmed.
"We were the first to do this. We do have a lot of our competitors trying to jump on the bandwagon," St. George said. "We decided if other people are trying to catch up with what we started in 2013, what are we going to do in the 2020s to stay ahead?"
Snappier service
Like many other airlines, JetBlue's current Wi-Fi service relies on geostationary Earth orbit satellite technology, which provides a wide coverage blanket to planes from high above Earth.
However, the speeds can feel slower to users than those of a service powered by low-Earth-orbit satellites, which form constellations to deliver a snappier browsing experience more reminiscent of surfing the internet at home.
JetBlue said this new Wi-Fi deal "in no way" signifies the end of its tie-up with existing provider Viasat.
Across the industry, airlines (and inflight Wi-Fi providers) are increasingly looking at ways to lean on both geostationary and low-Earth-orbit satellites to offer wide coverage and fast service.
Bottom line
JetBlue sees this Wi-Fi upgrade as part of a larger push to offer new services to passengers — investments that, the airline hopes, will drive customer loyalty and help it return to profitability for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.
The carrier expects to debut its first airport lounge later this year at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and introduce a domestic first-class cabin in 2026. Also included in that "JetForward" plan: Blue Sky, a new partnership with United Airlines.
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