Spirit Airlines Exceeds Peers in In-Flight Internet Speeds

Joe Cortez July 03, 2025

In a series of speed tests performed by Ookla, Spirit Airlines’ in-flight internet access was third fastest globally, eclipsed only by Hawaiian Airlines sand Qatar Airways.

When it comes to staying connected at 30,000 feet, the best Wi-Fi among airlines belongs to Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Spirit Airlines.

A recent study by Ookla discovered the three airlines had the best in-flight Wi-Fi speed and latency performance among 30 airlines measured.

Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines Fastest in North America

What set Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways apart from the competition is their use of Starlink technology for internet connectivity. The median download and upload speed with both carriers was significantly higher compared to other international carriers.

Among all other carriers not using Starlink technology, Spirit Airlines had the highest median internet speed, beating out legacy carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines (in that order). Air Canada was ranked fourth worldwide, above Delta and ultra-low-cost-carrier Breeze Airlines.

At the bottom of the chart was German flag carrier Lufthansa, followed by Cathay Pacific and Turkish Airlines. Zipair Tokyo and Japan Airlines rounded out the airlines with the slowest internet connection.

“Lufthansa…is limited by the Deutsche Telekom LTE ground-to-air network. While Lufthansa may offer other connectivity options, our data shows a significant number of its passengers are still connecting via this poorer-performing service,” the study notes. “Likewise, given the premium brand reputation of carriers like Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Cathay Pacific, they likely offer better-performing connectivity services on other aircraft.”

The results are optimistic for other airlines planning to install Starlink technology across their airline fleet. United – which ranked 11th and the worst among the U.S. legacy carriers – plans to install Starlink across their aircraft by the end of 2025, while Air France and SAS are currently working on rolling out Starlink across their fleet. Air New Zealand, which ranked the sixth lowest on the list, will install the internet connectivity hardware on two aircraft as a test before making a further decision on adding it across their fleet.

Feature image courtesy: Spirit Airlines