Starlink in aviation: where are its wings?
Over the past two years, Starlink has hit the maritime industry like a tsunami, swallowing up cruise line, yachts, and merchant vessels at such high rates that competitors must adapt or die. When it comes to aviation, however, Starlink hasn’t quite taken flight with the same ease.
Via Satellite, in interviews with four different airlines that all evaluated Starlink, found a surprisingly tepid response to the service. None went with Starlink, instead choosing other providers like Viasat, Anuvu, and Intelsat/OneWeb. This begs the question, why isn’t Starlink dominating the skies the way it is the seas? Between these interviews and the experiences of other inflight connectivity service providers, three reasons emerge:
1. Starlink’s IFC antennas aren't making the cut. Multiple airlines spoke of a desire for better electronically steered antennas, and the emergence of Starlink hasn’t scratched that itch. According to Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne, Starlink’s aviation antennas are essentially repurposed consumer antennas, which struggle to endure the extreme conditions of the airborne environment.
2. No airline passenger access. According to AeroMexico, Starlink wi-fi connects passengers straight to the internet without giving airlines a landing page or other means to interact with their customers. Airlines don’t like that, as it limits touch points for selling other goods and services.
3. Non-committal data rates. For certain industries like oil & gas, defense, and aviation, satellite uptime is way more important than peak data rates. To date, Starlink has proven unwilling or unable to offer Service Level Agreements (SLA) or Committed Information Rates (CIRs) demanded by premium satcom users.
Of course, that doesn’t mean all airlines have turned their backs on Starlink; Hawaiian Airlines, Japan's Zipair, airBaltic in Latvia, and Qatar Airways all use the service. But room exists, largely of Starlink’s own making, for other IFC service providers to hold their own.
SOURCE: https://interactive.satellitetoday.com/via/september-2024/4-airlines-share-their-perspectives-on-the-ifc-market/