In February 2026, Southwest Airlines announced plans to introduce free Starlink Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards members, which is of course an incredibly exciting passenger experience development. There’s now a positive update, as the first plane is now flying with the service, and we can expect a pretty quick rollout, with 300+ planes having Starlink by the end of the year.
The plan is to roll this out on more than 300 Boeing 737s by the end of 2026, and I’d assume that nearly all planes will have the service by the end of 2027. For what it’s worth, Southwest has a fleet of over 800 737s, with another 500+ on order.
Starlink is known for its high-speed, low-latency broadband internet, and the service is offered gate to gate. Starlink Wi-Fi allows for live streaming, productivity similar to on the ground (with high upload and download speeds), gaming, e-commerce, support for multiple devices, and more. I’ve now had several flights on Starlink equipped planes, and it really is a game changer.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
