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# Starlink vs Viasat: Inflight WiFi Comparison

Starlink (LEO) and Viasat (GEO) are the two dominant satellite WiFi providers in commercial aviation. Starlink's low-earth orbit gives it a major speed and latency advantage; Viasat's geostationary network has been deployed longer and covers more airlines. Here's how they stack up.

|
Metric |
Starlink Aviation |
Viasat |

| --- | --- | --- |

|
Download Speed |
✓ 40–220 Mbps |
10–60 Mbps |

|
Upload Speed |
✓ 8–25 Mbps |
3–10 Mbps |

|
Latency |
✓ 20–40 ms |
400–800 ms |

|
Orbit |
✓ LEO (550 km) |
GEO (35,786 km) |

|
4K Streaming |
✓ Yes |
Viasat-3 only |

|
Video Gaming |
✓ Yes (low latency) |
No (high latency) |

|
Airlines (US) |
United, Hawaiian, Southwest |
✓ Delta, JetBlue, Alaska, AA |

|
Free WiFi |
Free on UA/HA (no login) |
Free on DL/B6 (easy login) |

|
Fleet Maturity |
Rolling out (2023–2026) |
✓ Deployed since 2013 |

|
International |
Growing |
✓ Broad coverage |

Verdict

Starlink wins decisively on speed and latency — there's no comparison for streaming, gaming, or video calls. Viasat wins on fleet breadth (more airlines, longer deployment) and a head start on international coverage. If you have a choice, fly Starlink. If you're on a Viasat airline, Viasat-3 upgrades are closing the gap.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is Starlink faster than Viasat on planes?

Yes, significantly. Starlink averages 80–180 Mbps on commercial flights; Viasat-2 averages 15–40 Mbps. The gap comes from orbital altitude: Starlink satellites orbit at 550 km vs Viasat at 35,786 km, which also gives Starlink 10–20× lower latency.

### Which airlines have Starlink vs Viasat?

Starlink: United Airlines (fleet-wide), Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest (rolling out). Viasat: Delta, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines (partial), and many international carriers.

### Is Viasat-3 better than Viasat-2?

Yes. Viasat-3 delivers 50–150 Mbps with lower latency than Viasat-2's 15–50 Mbps. It's still GEO satellite (higher latency than Starlink) but closes the speed gap meaningfully. JetBlue and Alaska are first in line for Viasat-3 upgrades.

### Can I stream Netflix on Viasat inflight WiFi?

Usually yes in HD on Viasat-2 and Viasat-3. 4K is possible on Viasat-3 but can buffer. Viasat-2 on a full aircraft can be slower — expect SD-HD on busy flights.

### Does Starlink work over the ocean?

Yes. Starlink Aviation has global coverage including oceanic and polar routes. This is a key advantage over Gogo ATG (which cuts out over water) and gives it an edge on international routes where Viasat also has solid but slightly slower coverage.

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