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The Lufthansa Group is the latest in a long list of airlines to announce plans to install Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet in 2026 and beyond. That will include airlines such as Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, SWISS, and more.
Let's dig into what the announcement means for passengers, and what we can expect for the rollout.
Starlink Coming to Lufthansa Group Airlines
The Lufthansa Group is bigger than just the Lufthansa airline. The airline group includes Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, SWISS, among others. Combined, it's the largest airline fleet in Europe, with the second-highest passenger numbers after Ryanair.
On January 13, 2026, Lufthansa announced plans to install Starlink across its entire fleet, comprising around 850 aircraft, as well as all new aircraft. Starlink will provide high-speed Wi-Fi for passengers, which recent flights have shown can reach up to 100 Mbps — which is fast enough to do pretty much anything you'd want.
Lufthansa has stated that it plans to have its entire fleet outfitted with Starlink Wi-Fi by 2029, with the first flights in the second half of 2026. As we know from other airlines, it takes considerable time to retrofit 850 aircraft with Starlink antennas.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa's 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers. Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” said Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lufthansa Group.
More and more passengers are coming to expect free Wi-Fi. In the past couple years, several airlines have announced or already installed high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi across their fleets. These include Alaska Airlines, United, Emirates, British Airways, and more.
When Starlink goes live across the Lufthansa fleet, it will be available to all status customers and Travel ID users across all travel classes. As such, Miles & More members for Lufthansa and its subsidiaries should all be able to access free Starlink Wi-Fi when it's available.
Current State of Wi-Fi on Lufthansa Flights
Currently, Lufthansa provides FlyNet for passengers. Travel ID and Miles & More members can send and receive messages and photos on messaging apps for free through FlyNet Messaging. Passengers can also purchase FlyNet Premium, providing internet up to 4 Mbps for social media, browsing, streaming, and VPN services.
On short and medium-haul flights, the cost to purchase FlyNet Premium before your flight is €6 or 2,000 miles for up to 90 minutes, and €8 or 2,600 miles for over 90 minutes. On long-haul flights, the cost starts at $18 or 5,000 miles for two hours, and from $27 or 8,300 miles for the full flight.
HON Circle members and connecting First Class passengers enjoy free premium access to FlyNet Premium.
Related: Best Credit Cards with Travel Credits and Airline Incidental Credits
Our Take
It's always good news when a new airline announces free Wi-Fi for its passengers. When that airline is Lufthansa, it means over 100 million passengers will have access to high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi on board…eventually.
Now we have to wait and see if Lufthansa sticks to its rollout plan. The first flight should depart with Starlink Wi-Fi in the second half of 2026. Beyond that, we'll see whether all 850 aircraft actually receive their Starlink antennas by 2029.
Lufthansa is the largest of the big three airline groups in Europe, along with IAG (British Airways, Iberia, etc), and Air France/KLM. However, Lufthansa is the last in the group to announce plans for free, high-speed internet.
In 2024, the Lufthansa group had over 131 million passengers. That's a lot of passengers who will get free, high-speed Wi-Fi as this rolls out. We can assume that mainline flights with Lufthansa and Swiss will get Starlink first. Furthermore, we've seen that Airbus aircraft typically get Starlink installed before Boeing aircraft. These days, airlines are doing well with sticking to their timelines. Only time will tell.
What do you think about this news? Are you excited to have Starlink Wi-Fi on board flights with Lufthansa and its subsidiaries? When do you think the rollout will wrap up?
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