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There’s something quite nice about being switched off from the rest of the world while flying. At 38,000ft in the air, your phone isn’t pinging with non-stop notifications, you don’t have to pick up any unwanted calls and there’s no risk of getting lost in a deep, dark doomscroll. Just eight hours to get through as much of the in-flight entertainment as you can.
But for anyone who feels uncomfortable at the thought of having no internet access for all those hours, we have some good news. British Airways now offers free, high-speed internet access on its long-haul flights, thanks to Elon Musk’s satellite company Starlink. That’s complimentary wi-fi for customers in every cabin from first class to economy.
BA’s first Starlink flight took off last month, offering internet access all the way from London Heathrow to Houston, Texas. With the complimentary internet access, passengers will be able to make voice and video calls on platforms like FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, and Teams, as long as they use headphones and keep their voice low. It also allows them to use social media and watch things on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime without having to download beforehand.
Until now, BA customers had to pay between £2.99 and £21.99 if they wanted to access the internet, with the fee varying depending on whether they were messaging or streaming, and the length of their flight. The airline hopes to roll-out Starlink across its entire fleet of more than 300 aircraft within the next two years.
BA joins the likes of Air France, Emirates and Qatar Airways, which already use Starlink, but is the first UK airline to have it installed. Critics of the move worry that it could lead to demands for designated ‘quiet zones’ on flights and that it’ll be difficult for cabin crew to enforce acceptable behaviour (the last thing you want is someone next to you scrolling through TikTok with their phone on loud the entire time).
Sean Doyle, BA’s chief executive, said: ‘We know that staying connected matters to people, whether they're travelling for work or heading off on holiday, and Starlink will give our customers fast, reliable wi-fi that transforms the onboard experience.
‘This milestone is part of a wider investment in elevating every aspect of our customer journey as we continue to modernise our airline.’
Before you book your next trip, here’s all the latest information in light of soaring jet fuel prices.
Plus: One of the Caribbean’s greatest cities is getting new daily flights from the UK this summer.
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