American Airlines currently uses Viasat’s satellites for its ‘direct-to-seat’ In-Flight Connectivity. There are numerous reports that it is to switch suppliers and use a Low Earth orbiting (LEO) fleet of satellites for improved speed and bandwidth.

However, while many airlines have chosen Starlink to connect their aircraft, it seems that American has quietly chosen Amazon’s LEO system to do the job.

Bloomberg quotes American’s CEO Roberrt Isom, saying: “While there’s Starlink, there are other low-Earth-orbit satellite opportunities that we can look at.” He confirmed that American was having discussions with Amazon’s LEO system, adding: “We’re making sure that American is going to have what our customers need.”

Reports say that American might have to stay with Viasat for a few years until Amazon Leo’s fleet is better established. This could mean waiting until 2028.

Amazon Leo will have 180 satellites in orbit when their next launch happens on December 15th. But there’s a long way to go until the fleet is complete with 3,236 satellites, although Leo must have 50 per cent of that number in orbit by July 2026 (1,618 satellites).

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Satellite

Tags: Amazon, American Airlines, IFC, LEO, Viasat