Morning Sun

Internet service on U.S. airlines is about to get a lot better

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Fast, reliable Wi-fi on a plane is as unlikely as sitting in a row with an empty seat. But the era of lost connectivi­ty while airborne may be ending.

A spate of new in-flight connection deals in recent weeks, including the first aircraft contracts signed by Spacex’s Starlink satellite unit, aim to make high-speed Wi-fi less glitch-free over the next three years on most domestic flights operated by major U.S. carriers. The latest in-flight deal came Wednesday when Southwest Airlines said it would add a second Wi-fi provider, Viasat Inc., for faster speeds on more than 400 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

Airlines are racing to offer improved connection speeds and reliabilit­y as post-pandemic competitio­n for travelers has stepped up, particular­ly for high-revenue premium passengers. With expanded satellite bandwidth, the airlines’ goal is to replicate the same internet experience in-flight that people have come to expect on the ground.

It’s no longer an amenity just for corporate road warriors, Don Buchman, vice president of commercial mobility at California-based Viasat, said in an interview. “You need to have it — it’s kind of like serving water and coffee,” he said.

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