Comment by raw_anon_1111

6 months ago

Delta’s ViaSat based Wireless is fine. The latency is hire. But it really isn’t a competitive disadvantage.

11 comments

raw_anon_1111

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telotortium  6 months ago

If Starlink becomes common enough on flights, I absolutely believe it will be a competitive disadvantage.

  • raw_anon_1111  6 months ago

    I have been flying a lot post Covid between it being a hobby of ours and consulting - I’m currently Platinum Medallion on Delta.

    Frequent flyers choose their airlines for a lot of reasons - which airline has the most direct flights from their city, who has the best frequent flyer program, etc. The latency of the Internet is seldom a factor or the difference between 10Mbps and 50Mbps.

    Non frequent flyers just buy the cheapest flights. The major three airlines make money off of business travelers, business and first class flights and credit cards.

  • 8note  6 months ago

    would you choose a flight that's $200 more expensive because it has starlink?

    • telotortium  6 months ago

      If I’m flying for work and Starlink is that much better, quite possibly. My wife’s experience with other in-flight WiFi providers has been quite poor, often to the point that it barely works. Having said that, neither of us has been on a flight with Starlink yet.

      2 replies →

    • wnc3141  6 months ago

      No but the airline might choose starlink. I think a gogo business install is on the hundreds of thousands and annual costs in the tens of thousand for their Eutelesat based system.