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After feuding with Ryanair, Elon Musk is throwing some shade at Delta Air Lines for selecting Amazon Leo for its in-flight Wi-Fi over Starlink.
“Delta wanted to make it painful, difficult, and expensive for their customers. Hard to see how that is a winning strategy,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday. However, Delta is pushing back, saying the SpaceX CEO is promoting misleading claims.
Musk hurled the insult after SpaceX investor Ron Baron claimed that Delta refused to adopt Starlink because it “wanted to have an interface, where when you got on the plane, you would see a Delta image and pay the bill to Delta.”
On X, Musk then chimed in, alleging the real issue was Delta requiring passengers to access the in-flight Wi-Fi using the Delta Sync portal, which forces customers to log in with an account number for SkyMiles, the airline’s frequent-flyer program.
“SpaceX requires that there be no annoying ‘portal’ to use Starlink," Musk wrote. “Starlink WiFi must just work effortlessly every time, as though you were at home.” The SpaceX CEO then suggested that Delta was adopting a losing strategy for passengers, as a growing number of rival airlines, including United and Hawaiian Airlines, offer Starlink.
The problem is Musk’s tweet clashes with our experience on United. The airline does offer free Starlink access, but you need to be a member of United's MileagePlus frequent-flyer program, which anyone can sign up for at no cost. This means you still need to log in to the aircraft’s in-flight Wi-Fi, and even view a short video ad, although the process was quick when we had the United app installed on our phone.
SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But it's possible Musk took issue with other requirements Delta requested. He later claimed: “Yes, SpaceX deliberately accepted lower revenue deals with airlines in exchange for making Starlink super easy to use and available to all passengers.”
However, Delta told PCMag, “The assertion in question is not accurate,” after we asked the airline if it had any comment on Musk’s tweets. The company claims that incorporating Delta Sync with Starlink would have been permitted under SpaceX's in-flight Wi-Fi agreement.
The airline didn’t go into detail but said there were several reasons it chose Amazon’s Leo. Delta already has an existing relationship with Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud business that currently powers Delta’s IT systems, including reservation systems and customer-facing applications. In March, Delta's CEO also noted: "This agreement gives us the fastest and most cost-effective technology available to better connect the world today, and it deepens our work with a global leader that shares our ambition to build what’s next."
The spat emerges as Amazon has started reaching deals for enterprises to use Leo, even though the Starlink competitor technically hasn't launched and has faced several delays. JetBlue also plans on offering Leo in 2027. Meanwhile, Musk has been touting the benefits of Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi, which has been leading in broadband speed, according to speedtest.net parent Ookla. In January, SpaceX's CEO also slammed Ryanair's CEO for saying the Starlink antenna for jets allegedly adds extra weight and drag, which sparked a public feud.
Still, Delta's decision to pick Amazon is a bit of a gamble, since Leo is still in private beta, though it expects to launch this summer. The airline is targeting 2028 to start offering Leo in-flight Wi-Fi on about half of its fleet. The rest of the jets will continue to use Viasat and Hughesnet.
The airline added: “Delta led the industry by bringing fast, free Delta Sync Wi-Fi to SkyMiles Members beginning in 2023, now available on more than 1,200 aircraft today. We look forward to expanding onboard connectivity to more customers.”