BA signs major deal for inflight Wi-Fi

British Airways has partnered with Starlink to bring fast, reliable satellite Wi-Fi to over 500 aircraft from 2026. The upgrade will offer smoother streaming, better connectivity and a major boost for business travellers who need to stay online in the air.

There was a time when stepping onto an aeroplane meant escape. Real escape. No emails. No Teams calls. No manager asking if you had “five minutes” while you’re off grid over the Atlantic. It was glorious.

But now, British Airways passengers will soon be among the first fliers to “enjoy” complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi following a deal with Starlink.

The quality, we’re told, will be as fast as a well-connected home and will even reach as far as the economy cabin, so everyone gets to play. This is wonderful, terrific, brilliant; unless of course you were planning to sleep, or stare out the window in silence, or simply vegetate without the modern world tapping you on the shoulder.

Starlink’s super-smart low-Earth-orbit satellites mean we’ll have strong, reliable connectivity even over oceans and empty wastelands. This is a spectacular feat of engineering and a catastrophic blow to anyone who viewed flying as the last excuse for disappearing without provoking a police search.

There will be no special logins. No awkward passwords. No barriers at all. You’ll sit down, buckle up, and before you can even fake snore, your chosen device will ping with 37 new messages.

Yes, your last escape from the world of work is vanishing. The rollout begins in 2026 and once complete, passengers will be able to stream, work and stay in touch from gate to gate, which sounds very convenient unless “convenient” to you means your inbox following you into the stratosphere.

You think that’s bad? Well, Qatar Airways has Starlink and lets you make live calls, so you and 350 others will be able to contact a loved one just to say “I’M ON A PLANE” very loudly - and believe me, everyone will.

Back with BA, it’s all part of a wider £7 Billion (yes Billion with a B!) transformation programme, aimed at improving yours and my customer experience. And to be fair, for everybody else, fast, free Wi-Fi will be genuinely welcome, especially for those who want to keep in touch with family or enjoy glitch-free entertainment.

BA’s CEO, Sean Doyle, said the new connectivity will be “game-changing” and “seamless from gate to gate”. And I have no doubt he’s right, because it’s market-leading and to be celebrated.

The trouble is some of us quite liked the old game. This isn’t BA’s fault, of course. They’re simply providing a brilliant service that many passengers crave.

But somewhere deep down, the concept of a flight as a floating unreachable bubble of calm is being gently and politely… butchered.

If you need me, I’ll be the one wearing an eye mask pretending it’s still 1997!