{
  "story": {
    "slug": "free-wifi-finally",
    "headline": "free wifi, finally",
    "deck": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have equipped about 150 aircraft with free Starlink wifi that keeps working over Canada and across Alaska.",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/free-wifi-finally",
    "section": "Economy",
    "area": "Fairbanks",
    "published_at": "2026-06-29T20:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-02T06:16:39.298948+00:00",
    "body_md": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have equipped roughly 150 aircraft with free, satellite-based Starlink wifi, rolling out the service ahead of schedule across their combined fleet. The entire regional fleet is already equipped, along with the first 50 of the larger mainline jets, with the rest expected to be completed by 2027.\n\nThe upgrade matters for Alaska flyers in particular. Routes to and from the state, including Anchorage and Fairbanks, have long lost internet signal somewhere over Canada, leaving passengers with a frozen screen for a stretch of the flight. The new satellite-based system is designed to keep working on those northern and southern routes over Canada and across Alaska.\n\nThe wifi itself is free, but passengers need to be enrolled in the airline's rewards program to access it. Signing up for the rewards program is also free.\n\nA new onboard portal for the service is rolling out this month. The airlines say it will be standard across flights by the middle of July.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2026/06/26/over-100-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-aircraft-now-equipped-with-free-wi-fi/",
        "label": "webcenterfairbanks.com"
      }
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  },
  "envelope": {
    "story_id": "8a257da8-b3ae-4691-8e2b-328c9bf1b697",
    "slug": "free-wifi-finally",
    "summary": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have installed free, satellite-based Starlink wifi on about 150 aircraft, covering the full regional fleet and the first 50 mainline jets, with completion expected by 2027 and a new onboard portal going standard by mid-July.",
    "key_facts": [
      "About 150 Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines aircraft now have free Starlink wifi",
      "The entire regional fleet and the first 50 mainline jets are already equipped",
      "Remaining mainline jets are expected to be equipped by 2027",
      "Passengers must join the airline's free rewards program to use the wifi",
      "A new onboard portal rolls out this month and becomes standard by mid-July"
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "a": "Yes, it's free once you're enrolled in the airline's rewards program, which is also free to join.",
        "q": "Is the new airplane wifi free?"
      },
      {
        "a": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have free Starlink wifi on about 150 of their aircraft combined.",
        "q": "Which airlines have the new wifi?"
      },
      {
        "a": "The entire regional fleet and the first 50 mainline jets already have it, with the rest of the fleet expected to be equipped by 2027.",
        "q": "When will all planes have it?"
      },
      {
        "a": "Yes, the satellite system keeps working over Canada and across Alaska, where cell signal traditionally drops.",
        "q": "Does wifi work the whole flight to Alaska?"
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
      {
        "claim": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have equipped about 150 aircraft with free Starlink wifi.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2026/06/26/over-100-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-aircraft-now-equipped-with-free-wi-fi/",
        "source_label": "webcenterfairbanks.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "The entire regional fleet plus the first 50 mainline jets are equipped, with the rest expected by 2027.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2026/06/26/over-100-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-aircraft-now-equipped-with-free-wi-fi/",
        "source_label": "webcenterfairbanks.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "Passengers must be enrolled in the airline's free rewards program to use the free wifi.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2026/06/26/over-100-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-aircraft-now-equipped-with-free-wi-fi/",
        "source_label": "webcenterfairbanks.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "A new onboard wifi portal rolling out this month will be standard across flights by mid-July.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2026/06/26/over-100-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-aircraft-now-equipped-with-free-wi-fi/",
        "source_label": "webcenterfairbanks.com"
      }
    ],
    "locations": [
      {
        "area": "Fairbanks",
        "kind": "city",
        "name": "Fairbanks"
      },
      {
        "area": "Anchorage",
        "kind": "city",
        "name": "Anchorage"
      }
    ],
    "people": [],
    "organizations": [
      {
        "kind": "company",
        "name": "Alaska Airlines"
      },
      {
        "kind": "company",
        "name": "Hawaiian Airlines"
      }
    ],
    "event_dates": [
      {
        "date": "2026-07",
        "label": "New onboard wifi portal becomes standard"
      },
      {
        "date": "2027",
        "label": "Expected completion of mainline fleet wifi installation"
      }
    ],
    "story_status": "ongoing",
    "what_changed": null,
    "keywords": [
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      "hawaiian airlines wifi",
      "free airplane wifi alaska",
      "starlink airline wifi",
      "alaska flights internet",
      "alaska airlines rewards program",
      "satellite wifi airplanes alaska"
    ],
    "disclosure": "Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing.",
    "generated_at": "2026-10-01T05:22:03.196+00:00",
    "reviewed_at": null,
    "updated_at": "2026-10-02T06:16:39.298948+00:00"
  },
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      "name": "Alaska Airlines",
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      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/starlink"
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  "corrections": [],
  "underwriting": null,
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    "description": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have installed free, satellite-based Starlink wifi on about 150 aircraft, covering the full regional fleet and the first 50 mainline jets, with completion expected by 2027 and a new onboard portal going standard by mid-July.",
    "abstract": "Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have installed free, satellite-based Starlink wifi on about 150 aircraft, covering the full regional fleet and the first 50 mainline jets, with completion expected by 2027 and a new onboard portal going standard by mid-July.",
    "datePublished": "2026-06-29T20:00:00+00:00",
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