Austrian Airlines flew its first scheduled passenger service with Starlink-powered cabin Wi-Fi on 7 September 2026. The aircraft was a new Airbus A320neo, OE-LXF, and the airline says that flight took it to Porto.
This is a first step for the European airline, as its the very first scheduled Austrian flight with high-speed internet available free for Miles & More members and Travel ID users in every travel class onboard. Austrian Airlines hasn’t confirmed quite yet what they’ll be charging as a per-use pass, but for this initial flight, it was included for customers.
The First Scheduled Flight
Austrian said OE-LXF took off on its first official scheduled flight with the fastest in-flight internet currently available to passengers. The flight was relatively moderate regional hop, going from Vienna to Porto, taking about 3h20m.
Cabin rules come with the connection to Starlink. Passengers have to wear headphones for audio and video, skip voice and video calls, and not broadcast a live stream from the aircraft to use Starlink. These conditions are primarily to ensure that everyone remains undisturbed on board from having live, high-speed internet access.
Customers must accept the Austrian Airlines conditions through a captive portal prior to being able to access the Wi-Fi.
Free for Members
The free offer covers Miles & More and Travel ID, across all travel classes. For those at least above the absolute bare-minimum programme, Starlink is included across all of Austrian Airlines upcoming and future flights, with this one allowing anyone to connect as a first time bonus.
Twenty Aircraft by Winter
High-speed internet on board is increasingly becoming a core requirement for our passengers in all travel classes, and we are now investing heavily in this. By the end of the 2026/27 winter flight schedule, we aim to have fitted 20 of our aircraft with Lufthansa Group Wi-Fi powered by Starlink.
Annette Mann, Austrian’s chief executive, set that 20-aircraft target in a press release published the same day as the flight. OE-LXF is the first of six new A320neos joining the short- and medium-haul fleet, each with 180 seats, and another of those six is also fitted with Starlink and due to fly soon.
SpaceX has been working with Lufthansa Group, the network that sits above most regional European airline operators, on a plan to equip 850 passenger aircraft with Starlink capabilities. The Austrian flight is just the first of many on a newer A320neo.
European customers are likely going to be signing up for flights equipped with Starlink rather than slower, alternative options, similar to the shift in consumer mentality seen across North America.
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