JetBlue Plans Amazon Kuiper Wi-Fi Upgrade Across Fleet by 2027

JetBlue Airways has announced a partnership with Amazon's Project Kuiper to enhance its in-flight Wi-Fi, becoming the first major U.S. airline to adopt the low Earth orbit satellite broadband service starting in 2027. The installation will cover about a quarter of JetBlue's fleet initially, with a full rollout expected by 2028, aiming to provide faster, more reliable internet with lower latency compared to traditional geostationary satellite systems. Project Kuiper, which has launched over 100 satellites so far and plans to deploy more than 3,200, is positioned as a direct competitor to Elon Musk's Starlink, which already has agreements with other airlines such as Hawaiian and United. JetBlue will continue offering free Wi-Fi to all passengers, leveraging Kuiper's advanced Ka-band phased array antenna technology capable of up to 1 Gbps download speeds per device. The partnership highlights JetBlue's commitment to maintaining leadership in onboard connectivity while also signaling Amazon's ambitions to expand its satellite internet service into the aviation sector. However, technical certification and retrofitting challenges may delay Kuiper's full deployment on JetBlue's fleet, meaning passengers may not see the new service for several years.