Frontier Airlines CEO says he'll add Elon Musk's Starlink to its planes when the WiFi service is cheap enough, but he'd probably charge passengers for it

Frontier CEO told CNBC the airline had discussions with Elon Musk's Starlink.

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

• Frontier CEO told CNBC the airline had discussions with SpaceX about installing Starlink on planes.
• Barry Biffle said he would add Starlink on Frontier's fleet when it's cheap enough.
• He also told CNBC that Starlink has to be compact and lightweight for the plane.

Frontier Airlines will install Elon Musk's Starlink in its aircraft when the satellite internet service becomes cheaper, CEO Barry Biffle told CNBC.

The budget airline recently held talks with SpaceX, owner of Starlink, about potential in-flight WiFi onboard its planes, Biffle said in an interview with CNBC published on Thursday.

Frontier doesn't provide internet to passengers flying, so this would be its first WiFi deal.

Biffle told CNBC at an aerospace conference in Washington that Starlink has to be lightweight, compact, and cheaper if the airline was to install it on its fleet. Frontier hasn't yet been able to find an inflight WiFi option at a reasonable price, Biffle added.

"We're more hopeful now that with Starlink coming in there's going to be some rationalization of cost and pricing," Biffle said in the interview. "When the price gets cheap enough, I'll put it on."

A monthly subscription price for Starlink costs users $110, according to the company's website. Starlink charges users $5,000 for its maritime service for use on boats and $135 for RVs.

If Frontier partnered with Starlink, Biffle told CNBC the airline would probably charge passengers to use the WiFi onboard its planes, saying that he has "no ancillary products that don't make money."

Frontier could turn to other internet service providers, Biffle said in the interview, adding that there was no set timeline for installing inflight WiFi.

"The challenge is I don't want the weight and I don't want drag," Biffle told CNBC. "I don't carry business travelers."

Frontier and SpaceX didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal working hours.

Biffle's comments follow SpaceX inking a deal with Royal Caribbean Cruises, Hawaiian Airlines, and a private jet service, as well as negotiating a deal with Delta Airlines. Musk said earlier this year that he'd tested out Starlink on his private jet.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/WOvblXR