Overview
- Delta has selected Amazon’s Project Leo for inflight Wi‑Fi instead of SpaceX’s Starlink, and the airline has not committed to installing the system across its entire fleet.
- Reporting of internal comments attributed to CEO Ed Bastian that criticize Elon Musk comes from a single X user and is unverified, while Elon Musk publicly warned that “Delta will lose a lot of customers.”
- Industry rollouts put competitors ahead: United and Southwest are expanding Starlink quickly, and United has said it aims to equip its fleet with Starlink by the end of 2027.
- Coverage says Delta’s deal with Amazon may reflect commercial tradeoffs such as lower cost, content and cloud bundling, and the ability to control passenger portals, while Project Leo’s aviation performance and timetable remain less proven.
- Passengers could see slower or uneven access to low‑latency satellite internet on many Delta flights until Leo’s service is tested and deployed, and the airline’s confirmed installation schedule and performance benchmarks are the key developments to watch next.