Korean Air and Asiana to offer free Starlink Wi-Fi on board

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will begin offering free Starlink-based in-flight Wi-Fi starting Tuesday, allowing passengers to stream video and use other data-heavy services at speeds comparable to those on the ground.

The rollout marks the first time an East Asian full-service carrier has adopted the satellite internet system, following roughly 30 major airlines worldwide, including United Airlines, Air France and Qatar Airways.

Korean Air will initially equip four aircraft — three Airbus A350-900s and one Boeing 777-300ER — while Asiana will outfit nine A350-900s and one A330-300.

The planes will be deployed primarily on medium- and long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia, with some assigned to shorter routes. The service will be free across all cabin classes.

No registration is required. Passengers need only switch their devices to airplane mode, connect to the in-flight network and enter the name and seat number listed on their boarding pass through the “Korean Air Wi-Fi” or “Asiana Airlines Wi-Fi” portal. Watching a brief advertisement completes the connection.

The new system offers markedly faster speeds than previous in-flight Wi-Fi, the airlines said, enabling passengers to stream video, browse the web, play online games, send messages and use cloud-based collaboration tools much as they would on the ground.

Voice and video calls, as well as live social media broadcasting, will remain restricted for cabin security and passenger comfort. Access to insecure or illegal websites may also be blocked.

Korean Air plans to extend Starlink service to most of its fleet by the end of 2027, following its formal integration with Asiana, expected to be completed on Dec. 17.

BY SARAH CHEA   [[email protected]]