May. 18 at 11:42 PM
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian defended the airline’s choice of Amazon over SpaceX’s Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi, pointing to lower costs and broader tech capabilities. Speaking to Bloomberg, he said Amazon offers more than satellite connectivity, highlighting its retail ecosystem, Prime services, and gaming-related technologies as added advantages.
Bastian argued that Amazon’s system delivers higher bandwidth at a significantly lower cost compared to Starlink, framing the decision as both economic and strategic rather than purely technical.
The comments followed public criticism from Elon Musk on X regarding Delta’s decision. Starlink currently operates around 10,000 satellites and has already secured in-flight connectivity agreements with airlines including Emirates, Lufthansa, British Airways, and United Airlines.
Delta previously announced in March a partnership with Amazon to equip 500 aircraft with Amazon Leo satellite internet starting in 2028.
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