- Delta is partnering with Amazon’s LEO for faster, satellite-powered in-flight Wi-Fi
- Installs will start in 2028 on 500 aircraft types
- United still leads for now with Starlink Wi-Fi on 340+ planes and a full rollout by 2027
Just a little over a week ago, I was cruising at 35,000 feet on a United Airlines flight equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi, and it was pretty much the closest I’ve felt to bliss while flying in economy in quite some time. But United Airlines is now getting some stiff competition from arguably its biggest rival.
Delta Air Lines has formally announced that it’s partnering with Amazon’s Leo Network — previously Project Kuiper — to bring faster, satellite-powered Wi-Fi to flights. It’s a smart investment that aligns with an ongoing trend among other airlines, including United Airlines and JetBlue.
There is a bit of a catch, though — and it’s one that requires patience. Delta Air Lines will begin installing Amazon Leo antennas on 500 aircraft starting in 2028. That’s a long way off, and the process itself can take time. United Airlines began installing Starlink connectivity in 2025 and won’t finish until 2027, when it expects availability across its entire fleet. As of now, it offers free, fast Wi-Fi on more than 340 aircraft, including its entire United Express regional fleet and several larger mainline jets.
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Still, it’s an exciting move by Delta and an interesting partnership. It won’t just let you shop in the sky — even though an airline teaming up with Amazon might make you think that. Instead, it will offer a gate-to-gate experience with much faster, lower-latency Wi-Fi that will be free for Delta SkyMiles members.
How Delta will do it
The installation will involve a phased array antenna on each Delta aircraft, enabling connections to the Amazon Leo satellite network and supporting speeds of up to 1 Gbps down and 400 Mbps up.
Right now, there are about 200 Amazon Leo satellites orbiting Earth at an altitude of roughly 370 miles, with more than 20 missions planned over the next year to launch additional satellites. The more satellites in orbit, the broader the coverage Amazon Leo will provide. For comparison, Starlink has over 10,000 satellites in orbit, which means more capacity for commercial flights and other connections.
And yes, that should help address congested in-flight Wi-Fi and reduce large dead zones over oceans. Delta says that the Leo-powered Wi-Fi will support connections for playing games, uploading photos or videos, streaming TV shows or movies (even live ones), and offer a much faster experience for basics like web browsing and messaging. Of course, taking calls — whether video or audio — will still be prohibited.
Delta will continue to work with Viasat and Hughes for existing Wi-Fi on many of its aircraft, and going forward, it will be a mix of those providers plus Amazon. In a release, the airline notes that “by working with multiple connectivity leaders, Delta is ensuring it equips the right aircraft with the right technology to serve customers across the globe.”
As of now, 500 aircraft are set to receive faster speeds from Leo, but time will tell if that expands to cover Delta’s fleet of nearly 1,000 airplanes.
In the meantime — and arguably in the short term — if you’re after satellite-powered, free Wi-Fi, booking a ticket on United Airlines might make the most sense.
Yes, the airline is still rolling it out and currently has more than 340 aircraft equipped with the connectivity, but it expects to complete the rollout by the end of 2027, while Delta will only begin installations in 2028.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
