Photo: Southwest Airlines.

SpaceX’s Starlink constellation continues to make inroads into the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market by winning business from one of the leading airlines in the U.S. Southwest Airlines is the latest major airline to turn Starlink.

The airline plans to rapidly integrate Starlink into its fleet. The first Starlink-equipped aircraft is set to enter service this summer, and Southwest expects it to be available on more than 300 aircraft by the end of 2026. Southwest Airlines announced the deal, Feb. 11.

Southwest Airlines has long been a pioneer of IFC, and has been seen as one of the early adopters of these services. The airline currently works with Viasat and Anuvu for IFC service.

A research note from William Blair indicates the Southwest deal will impact Anuvu’s work.

“We confirmed with Viasat that Southwest will not be installing Starlink across the aircraft that are equipped with ViaSat. Rather, Starlink will replace the Anuvu system that is installed on older Southwest aircraft. Southwest plans to continue having ViaSat’s system line-fit installed on all of its brand-new B737 MAX aircraft,” William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma said in a research note on Thursday.

In June 2022, Southwest signed a deal with Anuvu which saw Anuvu modernize inflight connectivity equipment across 350 of Southwest’s 737NG aircraft.

In May 2022, Southwest also signed a deal to work with Viasat where Viasat’s next generation Ka-band satellite IFC system was to be factory-installed on all new aircraft deliveries, starting in the first quarter of 2023.

Southwest sees this agreement with Starlink as a major step in the carrier’s plan to upgrade all its aircraft with high-speed, LEO satellite technology. The service will be free to loyalty members through a partnership with T-Mobile.

“Free Wi-Fi has been a huge hit with our rewards members, and we know our customers expect seamless connectivity across all their devices when they travel. Starlink delivers that at-home experience in the air, giving Customers the ability to stream their favorite shows from any platform, watch live sports, download music, play games, work, and connect with loved ones from take-off to landing,” Tony Roach, executive vice president, chief customer & brand officer, Southwest Airlines, said in a statement.