Musk warns Delta will lose customers over Starlink snub, saying it 'will get much worse.' Rivals United and American choose Starlink; Delta cites Amazon Leo's lower price.
Elon Musk escalated his public fight with Delta Air Lines on Wednesday, warning the carrier that it will lose customers after it chose Amazon's Project Kuiper (Leo) over Starlink for in-flight WiFi.
Musk responded to X users who said they were booking United Airlines instead of Delta because of Starlink. "I warned them. It will get much worse," he wrote.
The dispute began in May when Delta announced a deal with Amazon Leo. Musk said then that Delta would lose customers. Delta CEO Ed Bastian told Bloomberg the airline chose Amazon because of "improved bandwidth with a much lower price point than what we've ever seen from Starlink." A Delta spokesperson also cited the potential for a broader partnership with Amazon.
Starlink operates a constellation of more than 10,000 active satellites and has deals with 43 airlines. Amazon Leo has just under 400 satellites, with plans to launch over 3,000, and only two announced airline customers: JetBlue and Delta. Amazon expects to start service with JetBlue next year and on Delta in 2028.
Delta's main rivals, United Airlines and American Airlines, both chose Starlink. United has equipped Starlink on about 400 aircraft, roughly a quarter of its fleet, and aims to cover nearly 1,000 by year-end. American plans to launch Starlink early next year.
There is no evidence that customers are switching carriers in large numbers because of WiFi. Still, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said during the company's recent earnings that one unnamed airline reported some customers were choosing unnecessary layovers to ensure they were on a Starlink-equipped flight.
United Airlines (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) both have Moderate Alpha Scores of 66 and 57, respectively, according to AlphaScala's proprietary rating.
Delta did not respond to a request for comment on Musk's latest comments.
The spat is not Musk's first with an airline over Starlink. In January, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said he was not interested in Starlink, citing potential drag and fuel costs from installing terminals on fuselages. Musk and O'Leary then traded barbs for days, with Musk suggesting he could buy Ryanair and calling for O'Leary's firing.
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