Delta Picks Amazon Leo Over Starlink for In-Flight WiFi
Delta Air Lines chose amazon leo in March to become its in-flight WiFi provider instead of Starlink. The move gives Delta a different path for cabin connectivity, and it pushes the airline toward a broader Amazon partnership that goes beyond a single internet contract.
Delta and Amazon Leo
Delta said it picked Amazon's Leo connectivity service for “several reasons,” including a “broader partnership” and the fact that Amazon met its technical requirements. That means the airline is not treating WiFi as a standalone add-on, but as part of a larger connected-travel plan.
Delta also said its strategy is to equip different aircraft with the technology that best fits each fleet. Passengers would still have been able to use the Delta Sync portal through a SkyMiles login.
Musk attacks the portal
Elon Musk replied on X to a post that suggested Delta chose Amazon because it wanted customers to connect through its own Delta Sync portal. He wrote, “SpaceX requires that there be no annoying 'portal' to use Starlink.” He also wrote, “Starlink WiFi must just work effortlessly every time, as though you were at home.”
Musk then said, “Delta wanted to make it painful, difficult and expensive for their customers.” He added, “Hard to see how that is a winning strategy.” Late on Thursday, he posted, “They will lose customers over this.”
Starlink, satellites, and timing
Amazon's service has launched about 300 satellites so far. Starlink sits on a much larger base of over 10,000 satellites. That scale has made it the easier sales pitch for airlines promising fast connectivity in remote routes, including over the ocean.
Still, airlines that use Starlink route access through their own branded systems. United Airlines' Starlink access is tied to its MileagePlus platform, and Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways use similar setups. United is actively installing SpaceX technology and expects the rollout to be completed by the end of 2027.
The complication for Delta is timing. Its planned next-generation connectivity project with Amazon's Kuiper network is not expected to begin until 2028. For travelers, that means Delta is choosing a longer runway with Amazon now while the wider airline race around in-flight connectivity keeps moving without it.
