WestJet Beats Air Canada for In-Flight Wi-Fi, and Starlink Is Why

WestJet is quietly beating Air Canada in the sky, and SpaceX’s Starlink internet is the reason why. Having Starlink as an internet provider in the skies may be the saving grace WestJet needs after finally reversing its cramped seating plan.

New data from Ookla shows WestJet earned a 95.8% consistency rating for in-flight internet, landing near the very top of the global rankings, just second behind only airBaltic, which is pretty impressive.

Air Canada wasn’t far behind at 84.6%, but the gap comes down to one thing: WestJet runs entirely on Starlink, while Air Canada relies on Intelsat.

That difference matters more than you’d think. Starlink has taken nearly 48% of the commercial in-flight Wi-Fi market in just two years, and its worst performance still beats the average speeds of every other satellite network out there. Some Starlink-equipped airlines are hitting over 300 Mbps in the air, says Ookla.

Ookla used a benchmark of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload to measure consistency, the minimum needed for smooth HD streaming and video calls. By that standard, WestJet is delivering. Air Canada is too, just not quite at the same level.

Now here’s the limited factor, as the satellite provider is only part of the equation. The age of the router on the plane matters just as much. Airlines using Wi-Fi 6 hardware hit a 56.9% consistency rate. Those still running older Wi-Fi 4 systems dropped to just 14.9%, meaning even a Starlink connection can feel sluggish if the plane’s hardware hasn’t kept up.

For travellers, this is starting to matter in a real way. In-flight internet satisfaction now ranks on par with food and beverages when it comes to passenger loyalty. It just seems people can’t stay offline, even when they’re in a flying tube 36,000 feet in the sky. Flying used to be one of the last places where you could truly unplug, but now that’s changing with in-flight internet.

Right now, Starlink has a hot deal where you can get internet from $49/month with free hardware and it ends tomorrow, April 30.