Delta won’t use Starlink. Elon Musk is not happy.
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Delta Air Lines is one of the few airlines that opposes installing Starlink internet on its planes.
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The airline instead approached Amazon LEO in March to become its in-flight WiFi provider.
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Elon Musk slammed Delta’s choice on X, saying it would be “painful, difficult and expensive.”
Elon Musk He doesn’t look pleased Delta Airlines Choosing a rival internet provider to Starlink.
Dozens of airlines around the world have signed agreements starlink offering passengers free, high-speed Wi-Fi. It helps provide connectivity in remote areas, such as over the ocean, by connecting to a constellation of more than 10,000 satellites.
But Delta instead approached Amazon LEO in March to become its in-flight WiFi provider. Amazon’s service has launched nearly 300 satellites so far.
On Wednesday, Musk responded to an X post that suggested Delta chose Amazon because it wanted customers to connect through its Delta Sync portal.
“SpaceX requires no annoying ‘portal’ to use Starlink,” Musk said. “Starlink WiFi should always work effortlessly as if you were at home.”
“Delta wanted to make this painful, difficult and expensive for its customers. It’s hard to see how this was a winning strategy,” he added.
A Delta spokesperson told Business Insider that “the claim in question is not true.” The airline said it chose Amazon’s Leo connectivity service over Starlink for “a number of reasons,” including the potential for a “broader partnership” beyond inflight Wi-Fi.
While he added that Amazon meets Delta’s technical requirements and shares its vision for the “next era of connected travel,” Delta’s strategy is to equip different aircraft with the technology best suited to each fleet.
Delta also announced that passengers will still be able to access the Delta Sync portal through the SkyMiles login.
To the last point, Starlink is pushing for a more seamless in-flight Wi-Fi experience where friction between passengers and the internet is minimal, while airlines using the service continue to route access through their own branded systems.
For example, United Airlines’ Starlink access is connected to the MileagePlus platform, with similar setups at Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways.
Delta isn’t saying its portal is an obstacle. It appears to want a deeper level of control over the ecosystem surrounding the built-in internet than SpaceX might prefer.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
