Staying connected to the internet on flights to Hawaii will now be possible on many more jets.

That’s thanks to Viasat’s third-generation F1 satellite, which was activated for commercial use Monday. One of the biggest improvements with the new satellite is that it provides long-awaited coverage on routes from the mainland to Hawaii.

Going forward, any Viasat-equipped plane flying from the mainland to Hawaii will now have access to a satellite signal and internet connection.

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Historically, passengers flying on planes with Viasat antennas could not connect to the internet after leaving the coverage area above the continental U.S.

Viasat’s previous coverage map. UNITED

For some travelers, that’s been reason enough to travel on planes equipped with internet providers with global coverage, such as Panasonic. However, in the U.S., Panasonic internet service is largely limited to long-haul, wide-body jets flying for American Airlines and United Airlines.

While these carriers do sometimes deploy twin-aisle jets on select high-profile Hawaii routes, the majority of the mainland U.S.-to-Hawaii routes are operated by single-aisle planes that don’t feature Panasonic.

In fact, American, Delta Air Lines, United and Southwest Airlines all fly jets to Hawaii equipped with Viasat antennas that previously didn’t work on those particular flights.

The new Viasat satellite was tested over the first half of the year, and the provider was seemingly happy enough with the results to activate the enhanced service.

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While Viasat has been talking about the third-generation satellite for quite some time, last year’s ViaSat-3 launch ran into major technical issues as the satellites were launched into orbit.

Viasat wasn’t initially sure whether the new satellites would be salvageable, but the company said:

“Extensive in-orbit testing demonstrated that all other systems on the satellite were operating at or beyond expectations. And while the antenna deployment anomaly resulted in a significant reduction in overall capacity, the resiliency and high-performance specifications of the ViaSat-3 satellite system still allows the satellite to support high-speed broadband services for aviation customers over North America, where the satellite is deployed.”

At the bottom of this story, you’ll find a complete breakdown of mainland-to-Hawaii flights by internet provider. Note that aircraft substitutions can always occur, and the data is based on Cirium schedules for flights scheduled for August 2024.

If connectivity is a must, check with your airline before your flight to ensure that your plane features connectivity over Hawaii.

Going forward, United will be the only carrier that doesn’t offer Wi-Fi on all Hawaii routes, as some of its jets still feature Thales satellites that only work over the continental U.S.

Note that Hawaiian Airlines is in the process of installing free high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet, which will work on all routes to the U.S. These retrofits are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Internet providers on US-to-Hawaii routes

AirlineOriginDestinationWi-Fi providerWorks on Hawaii routes?
AlaskaLos Angeles International Airport (LAX)Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)Wi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaLAXKahului Airport (OGG)Wi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaPortland International Airport (PDX)HNLWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaPDXOGGWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaPDXKona International Airport (KOA)Wi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSan Diego International Airport (SAN)HNLWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSANOGGWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSANKOAWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSANLihue Airport (LIH)Wi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSan Francisco International Airport (SFO)HNLWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSFOOGGWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSan Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)HNLWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSJCOGGWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSJCKOAWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSJCLIHWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSeattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)HNLWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSEAOGGWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSEAKOAWi-Fi OnboardYes
AlaskaSEALIHWi-Fi OnboardYes
AmericanDallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)HNLPanasonic/ViasatYes
AmericanDFWHNLPanasonic/ViasatYes
AmericanDFWOGGPanasonic/ViasatYes
AmericanLAXHNLViasatYes
AmericanLAXOGGViasatYes
AmericanLAXKOAViasatYes
AmericanLAXLIHViasatYes
AmericanPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)HNLViasatYes
AmericanPHXOGGViasatYes
AmericanPHXKOAViasatYes
AmericanPHXLIHViasatYes
DeltaHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)HNLWi-Fi Onboard/ViasatYes
DeltaDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)HNLWi-Fi Onboard/ViasatYes
DeltaLAXHNLWi-Fi Onboard/ViasatYes
DeltaLAXOGGViasatYes
DeltaLAXKOAViasatYes
DeltaLAXLIHViasatYes
DeltaMinneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)HNLWi-Fi Onboard/ViasatYes
DeltaJohn F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)HNLWi-Fi Onboard/ViasatYes
DeltaSalt Lake City International Airport (SLC)HNLWi-Fi Onboard/ViasatYes
DeltaSEAHNLViasatYes
DeltaSEAOGGViasatYes
DeltaSEAKOAViasatYes
DeltaSEALIHViasatYes
HawaiianAustin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)HNLNone yetNo
HawaiianBoston Logan International Airport (BOS)HNLNone yetNo
HawaiianHarry Reid International Airport (LAS)HNLNone yetNo
HawaiianLASOGGNone yetNo
HawaiianLong Beach Airport (LGB)HNLStarlinkYes
HawaiianLGBOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianLAXHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianLAXOGGNone yetNo
HawaiianLAXKOANone yetNo
HawaiianLAXLIHStarlinkYes
HawaiianJFKHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianSan Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK)HNLSome StarlinkSome
HawaiianOAKOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianOAKLIHStarlinkYes
HawaiianOntario International Airport (ONT)HNLStarlinkYes
HawaiianPHXHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianPDXHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianPDXOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianSacramento International Airport (SMF)HNLStarlinkYes
HawaiianSMFOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianSMFKOAStarlinkYes
HawaiianSMFLIHStarlinkYes
HawaiianSLCHNLStarlinkYes
HawaiianSANHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianSANOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianSFOHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianSFOOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianSJCHNLStarlinkYes
HawaiianSJCOGGStarlinkYes
HawaiianSEAHNLNone yetNo
HawaiianSEAOGGStarlinkYes
SouthwestLASHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLASOGGAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLASKOAAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLASLIHAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLGBHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLGBOGGAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLAXHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLAXKOAAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestLAXLIHAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestOAKHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestOAKOGGAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestOAKKOAAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestOAKLIHAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestPHXHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestPHXOGGAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestSMFHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestSMFOGGAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestSANHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestSJCHNLAnuvu/ViasatYes
SouthwestSJCOGGAnuvu/ViasatYes
UnitedO’Hare International Airport (ORD)HNLPanasonicYes
UnitedORDOGGPanasonicYes
UnitedDenver International Airport (DEN)HNLPanasonicYes
UnitedDENOGGPanasonicYes
UnitedDENKOAPanasonicYes
UnitedDENLIHPanasonicYes
UnitedGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)HNLPanasonicYes
UnitedLAXHNLPanasonic/ThalesSome
UnitedLAXHNLPanasonicYes
UnitedLAXHNLViasatYes
UnitedLAXOGGViasatYes
UnitedLAXKOAThales/ViasatSome
UnitedLAXLIHViasatYes
UnitedSFOHNLPanasonic/Thales/ViasatSome
UnitedSFOOGGPanasonic/ViasatYes
UnitedSFOKOAThales/ViasatSome
UnitedSFOLIHThales/ViasatSome
UnitedDulles International Airport (IAD)HNLPanasonicYes



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