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Lufthansa Group Begins Commercial Starlink Wi‑Fi Rollout

Passengers will get faster, more consistent onboard broadband under a fleetwide rollout scheduled through 2029.

Overview

  • Lufthansa activated its first Starlink‑equipped aircraft on Wednesday when CEO Jens Ritter switched on the system aboard an A320neo operating flight LH234 from Frankfurt to Rome.
  • The Group intends to fit roughly 850 aircraft across its airlines by 2029, with installations already underway at Lufthansa Technik and a phased schedule for subsidiaries such as SWISS and Austrian Airlines.
  • Access to the new high‑speed service is free for Miles & More members and Travel ID users through a Mastercard‑sponsored login portal that replaces the prior paid model.
  • Lufthansa’s user rules require headphones for audio or video, ban active voice and video calls, and prohibit live streaming to manage cabin comfort and bandwidth demand.
  • The service uses Starlink’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellites to support higher‑bandwidth tasks like streaming and cloud work, but availability is currently limited to selected aircraft and a flight‑search feature will appear as more jets are equipped.