In Flight Connectivity Your Source for In-Flight Connectivity Intelligence
At last, a realistic figure…
Finally, we’re seeing bandwidth numbers that reflect actual, real-world performance rather than theoretical maximums or laboratory conditions. These figures represent what you can genuinely expect to experience during typical flight operations.
Check all the parameters…
It’s crucial to examine the complete context of these measurements—including factors such as:
- Aircraft altitude and speed
- Number of concurrent users on the connection
- Geographic location and satellite coverage density
- Weather conditions and atmospheric interference
- Time of day and network congestion patterns
- The specific Starlink Aviation hardware configuration being used
These are not those as commonly quoted by marketing…
Unlike the glossy promotional materials that tout peak speeds of 220+ Mbps or highlight best-case scenarios under ideal conditions, these numbers tell a different story. Marketing figures typically showcase:
- Maximum theoretical throughput
- Speeds achieved during optimal satellite passes
- Performance with single-user testing
- Controlled testing environments on the ground
But a loaded, contended, best effort service
What we’re actually dealing with is:
- Loaded: The connection is actively being used by multiple passengers simultaneously, with various devices streaming, browsing, and downloading
- Contended: Bandwidth is shared among all users on the aircraft, and potentially competing with other aircraft and ground users in the same coverage cell
- Best effort: There are no guaranteed minimum speeds—Starlink Aviation operates on a shared-capacity model where performance varies based on demand and available satellite resources
In essence: these are the speeds you should plan around for operational purposes, not the impressive figures that look good in presentations.
