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Qatar Airways has just reached a major milestone on its path to equip its fleet with high-speed Starlink internet. As of July 2025, every Boeing 777 in the Qatar fleet has Starlink installed — months ahead of schedule.
Here’s what you need to know about the current and upcoming Wi-Fi options on Qatar Airways flights.
Qatar Airways Updated Timeline for Starlink Wi-Fi Installation
At the end of 2023, Qatar Airways announced plans to install Starlink on its fleet, with an initial goal of connecting three aircraft by the end of 2024. Then, in August 2024, the target was updated to outfit the entire fleet with Starlink by the end of 2026. As of July 2025, Qatar has completed the retrofit of all 777s equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi.
The airline is now focused on retrofitting the entire Airbus A350 fleet with Starlink.
Qatar Airlines was able to install Starlink Wi-Fi on each 777 in under 10 hours, significantly faster than the initial target of three days per aircraft. As such, all 777s received Starlink over 50% ahead of schedule.
Now that all 777s have high-speed Wi-Fi, Qatar Airways is retrofitting its Airbus A350s — several months ahead of schedule. Lastly, the smaller Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s will require Starlink installation, as well as the larger Airbus A380s and the more modern Boeing 787s.
Considering Qatar Airways is currently well ahead of schedule, the entire fleet could have Starlink Wi-Fi by early 2026, rather than the end of 2026.
As the Starlink connections go live, all passengers — business and economy alike — will get Starlink Wi-Fi for free. At this time, U.S. passengers can access free Starlink Wi-Fi on Boeing 777 flights to and from New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
What is Starlink Aviation Wi-Fi?
Starlink offers high-speed, in-motion Wi-Fi connections via SpaceX's satellite network. United, Hawaiian Airlines, airBaltic, Air New Zealand, JSX, and ZIPAIR have already installed or are planning to install Starlink — and the reviews have been stellar.
Starlink Aviation is the Starlink brand for aircraft. Currently, nearly 8,000 satellites are in low Earth orbit, with thousands more planned for launch in the next few years.
Initially, the service offered download speeds ranging from 40 to 200 Mbps and upload speeds from 8 to 25 Mbps. However, Qaar is now advertising speeds up to 500 Mbps per aircraft. We can expect Business Class passengers to be prioritized, with the average passenger receiving around 100 Mbps, possibly much better than many passengers experience at home.
The service also features a very low latency (the time between the source and destination) of less than 0.1 seconds. In other words, it's fast and not laggy.
Qatar Airways Wi-Fi Availability and Cost on Flights Without Starlink
On flights that do not yet have Starlink Wi-Fi, Qatar Airways offers limited Wi-Fi access. Select passengers get one hour of complimentary internet, but speeds are notoriously slow. Wi-Fi is only available on certain aircraft, including Boeing 787-9s, 787-8s, Airbus A350s, and A380s. Narrowbody aircraft — such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 — do not yet have Wi-Fi, nor do Qatar’s older Airbus A330s.
Qatar Privilege Club members receive one hour of complimentary access, and Qatar Student Club members enjoy unlimited high-speed internet on board.
For those who don’t qualify for free access, Wi-Fi passes start at $10 — with a 20% discount if purchased before the flight. Fortunately, when the Starlink retrofit is complete, everyone will have access to free high-speed Wi-Fi.
How to get Qatar Airways Wi-Fi for free on non-Starlink flights
If you need only a little onboard Wi-Fi, become a Privilege Club member before your flight. All Privilege Club members — including base-level Burgundy members — receive 1 hour of complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi. Qatar Student Club members get unlimited Wi-Fi on Qatar flights.
If you aren't a student and need more than one hour of connection, several credit cards offer airline incidental credits that can cover your onboard Wi-Fi purchase. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) offers a $300 travel credit.
That's enough to cover Qatar Wi-Fi purchases on at least 30 flights. Just note that some cards limit reimbursements of incidental credits, so check your benefits before making your purchase.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Existing Qatar onboard data roaming and entertainment
If you don't want to pay for Wi-Fi, you have the option to use your mobile data plan to roam until Qatar makes its Wi-Fi free for everyone. Simply connect to the OnAir or AeroMobile network and enable data roaming on your phone. Your service provider will bill you at normal roaming rates — which might be considerably higher than paying for Wi-Fi.
If you just want to watch movies, you don't need data or Wi-Fi. The Oryx One entertainment system offers movies, TV shows, music, and games. The catalog is robust and includes numerous recent Hollywood blockbusters.
Our Take
As a digital nomad, staying as connected as possible is vital. I'm always happy to find blazingly fast connections in remote villages, thanks to services like Starlink. Now, I'm excited to see airlines offering free Wi-Fi on long-haul flights so I can use that time for productivity.
For the ninth time in the past 15 years, Qatar Airways was once again named the best airline in the world by SkyTrax. Free Wi-Fi via Starlink will further enhance its reputation. Starlink is an incredible Wi-Fi service anywhere you use it, and having it onboard your flight will greatly enhance your productivity or gaming experience if you prefer to relax during your flight.
We'll continue to update this article as more details emerge. Qatar Airways is currently ahead of schedule by several months in integrating Starlink into its fleet. We are optimistic that Qatar will complete its goal of outfitting the entire fleet with Starlink by early 2026.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
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