If you fly frequently from the US to Central and South America, your chances of having Wi-Fi on board are much better.
Panama-based Copa Airlines announced this week that it will soon equip its Boeing 737s with Starlink Wi-Fi.
In a social media post shared on Thursday, the Star Alliance carrier proclaimed that it would be the first airline in Latin America to offer SpaceX’s satellite service, which easily ranks among the fastest in-flight internet connections.
The move was not entirely unexpected.
Last year, the airline told TPG that inflight Wi-Fi would likely come to its planes in the not-too-distant future.
“Before long, all planes will have Wi-Fi. I mean, it’s just a matter of time,” said CEO Pedro Heilbron, speaking in September from the company’s headquarters, although he noted that he was not yet convinced to make the considerable investment needed to install the satellites.
“We’re going to wait until it’s necessary because we don’t see significant enough demand right now,” he said at the time. “But the world is becoming so dependent on being connected that it will be difficult to be anywhere without being connected 24/7.”
Read more: Getting started with points, miles, and credit cards for travel
Fast forward to now, seven months later, and the airline announced that Starlink Wi-Fi will begin appearing on planes in October.
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The inflight Wi-Fi landscape is changing at a rapid pace.
Airlines around the world are updating their technology and, increasingly, make internet service free for members of your loyalty programs.
In the USA, united airlines, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines They are about to add Starlink service to their planes. Hawaiian Airlines already has it.
Copa is perhaps best known, in North America, for filtering travelers through its Panama City “Center of the Americas” at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), where travelers can continue to South America (or other destinations in Latin America) without going through customs. The carrier also offers popular scales in their country of origin.
Last fall, the airline told TPG it was planning a important update to your ConnectMiles loyalty program and consider a potential US partner in credit card transfers in the US market.
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