Delta Air Lines has conducted tests of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet with an eye toward potentially offering the wireless service to its passengers in the future, the carrier’s top boss said this week.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline has engaged in preliminary talks with SpaceX, the private space firm founded by billionaire Elon Musk. SpaceX is billing Starlink as a high-speed, low-cost internet service capable of providing access around the world.
It’s unclear what form the tests took or how soon Starlink might roll out on Delta’s passenger planes.
Bastian declined to discuss specific details about the tests, according to Wall Street Journal. Delta has previously called for expanded access to cheap, effective Wi-Fi service on flights.
Delta representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter.
Musk has touted Starlink’s potential as a source of internet for air travelers in recent months.
Last October, the billionaire said SpaceX was “talking to airlines about installing Starlink” — adding that the service would provide “low latency” and “half gigabit connectivity in the air.” Musk has also said SpaceX was aiming to get Starlink certified for use on Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 planes because they “serve [the] most number of people.”
Starlink had 250,000 global subscribers as of March, according to Jonathan Hofeller, one of the company’s executives for commercial sales. Speaking at a conference last month, Hofeller said air travelers have come to expect better internet service.
“The expectation has changed faster than the technology,” Hofeller said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Starlink likely faces some regulatory hurdles before it can…