JetBlue has announced a deal with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, becoming the first airline to adopt the tech giant’s low-Earth orbit satellite network for its in-flight Wi-Fi. The agreement will see JetBlue begin rolling out the new service across a portion of its fleet starting in 2027, with full deployment expected by 2028.
The airline already provides free Wi-Fi through a long-standing partnership with Viasat, but the addition of Project Kuiper promises a leap forward in both speed and reliability.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims to build a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Starlink currently leads the market with more than 8,000 satellites in orbit, dwarfing Kuiper’s planned constellation.
When connected to Kuiper, JetBlue’s aircraft will be able to deliver download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
Initially, Kuiper-powered Wi-Fi will be available on select JetBlue aircraft, gradually expanding across the fleet. The service will remain free to all passengers, continuing JetBlue’s position as the only major U.S. airline to offer complimentary Wi-Fi on every flight.
So far, Amazon has launched over 100 satellites, with dozens more scheduled for deployment this year. The company is racing to meet its regulatory deadline to launch half of its planned fleet by mid-2026. Starlink currently leads the market with more than 8,000 satellites in orbit, dwarfing Kuiper’s constellation.
Amazon’s deal with JetBlue comes as a bit of a surprise as rival carriers such as Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines have signed agreements with SpaceX to use Starlink’s satellite broadband. United Airlines, Air France, and many other global airlines have also adopted the system.
