Who’s Failing the Pacific? A Cross-Airline Reality Check on Long-Haul Wi-Fi (2024–2025)

So you start your journey across the pacific. Great you think I can sleep have a bevi, watch some movies, work a bit... 

...that is what I thought. 

Except not. Flight attendants said shhhh this is a cursed ship or... nope "I fly this route regularly and it hasn't worked westbound in ages." 

Well that is not nice. 

How about then are anyone else getting it? The answer is yes and most people will just say - not bothered really. Clearly the Flight Attendants aren't going to complain but it is high time someone focused on it. 

Who is responsible? Many different answers. I hear there is a satellite that is in the wrong position or not working "yet". There are the configurations of aircraft. I have flown a DL A350 where they advised ahead of time... No wifi on this flight. But on this flight on this day? NADA zip.

Airline	No service / excluded	Outage	Very slow / unstable	Login friction	Notable A350-specific
Delta	Yes (TPAC excluded)	—	—	Frequently	Yes: A350 config variability; “prepare for no Wi-Fi”
Qantas	Delay → effectively “no service yet” on many long-hauls	—	—	—	A350 not yet common ops, but long-haul fleet targeted
United	—	Yes (Starlink disabled subset)	—	—	Mixed (Starlink rollout coming to mainline)
JAL	—	—	Yes (slow / unusable reports)	Sometimes	Some 767/787 ops; not A350-centric
ANA	—	—	Signals of lag vs peers (upgrade pending)	—	Fleet mix; not A350-centric
Cathay	—	—	Yes (A350 load-related slowdowns)	—	A350 Panasonic vs 777 Gogo split
Singapore	—	—	Rare	Yes (PNR/KF linkage)	A350 present; complaint is policy/log-in, not hardware
Asiana	—	—	Yes (A350 “not usable” reports)	—	A350 focus
Air New Zealand	—	—	Acknowledged slowdowns (official guidance)	—	787/777 focus

What travelers report right now

• Delta (US): Frequent flyers continue to warn: “don’t expect Wi-Fi” on TPAC. Delta’s own rollout keeps transpacific excluded for now, with mid–late 2025 flagged as the earliest window as Viasat’s third ViaSat-3 asset comes online. On A350s, the advice is down to tail numbers—some configurations work, most don’t, and the “prepare for no Wi-Fi” refrain is common. 

• Qantas (AU): Domestic Wi-Fi is a success story; international is the laggard. The carrier pushed the long-haul rollout into 2025 citing Viasat technical issues, and some watchers now caution that consistently reliable long-haul coverage may not be widespread until 2027–2028. Expectation vs. delivery remains the pain point. 

• United (US): The headline in mid-2025 wasn’t TPAC per se—it was a temporary Starlink shutdown on ~two dozen regional jets after static interference was discovered. It underscored the reality that new systems can stumble at scale—even when the long-term trajectory (Starlink to mainline) looks promising. 

• Japan carriers (JAL/ANA):

  • JAL: Long-running threads continue to document slow or flaky sessions and app connectivity failures on international sectors. 

  • ANA: Coverage is improving, but the free Viasat era is still “eventual.” That fuels “behind peers” narratives even as hardware improves. 

• Cathay Pacific (HK): A350 Panasonic performance still draws comparisons to the older 777 Gogo fit—good early, then degrades as cabin load rises. Recent posts keep this alive even as fleet Wi-Fi coverage has matured. 

• Singapore Airlines (SG): Connectivity is broadly strong and generous, yet a practical gripe persists: no KrisFlyer number on your PNR, no easy free Wi-Fi. That login/eligibility friction triggers its own class of “complaint.” 

• Air New Zealand (NZ): Fewer public complaints in this period, but the airline’s own site acknowledges slowdowns and offers troubleshooting, which tells you the experience is still variable. 

A350 vs. “everything else”

A350 complaints tend to be about Panasonic load-related slowdowns (CX, OZ) and Delta’s config variability on TPAC. In contrast, U.S. carriers’ domestic/mainline narratives are now defined by provider choice (Viasat vs. Starlink) and policy (what’s free, where).

What matters for passengers

1. Coverage map > marketing map. If TPAC isn’t covered (yet), no pricing promise will help.

2. Provider + beam + aircraft config determine your real-world experience.

3. Eligibility & login rules (SQ) can be the difference between “great” and “can’t connect.”

Bottom line

On today’s evidence, Delta and Qantas generate the most TPAC-specific complaint energy—for different reasons (outright TPAC exclusions vs. delays). United had a visible outage event, but it’s not TPAC-systemic. Among Asian flag carriers, JAL/ANA lag perceptions persist; Cathay’s A350 still has load-related gripes; SQ mostly wins, apart from login friction; Air New Zealand is steady with caveats.

Delta Air Lines

1. FlyerTalk: “Consolidated Wi-Fi 2025” – https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/2190874-consolidated-wifi-2025-a-8.html

2. Runway Girl Network: “Delta now eyeing mid- to late-2025 for free Wi-Fi on transpacific routes.” https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2024/08/delta-now-eyeing-mid-late-2025-for-free-wi-fi-on-transpacific-routes/

3. The Points Guy: “Delta’s free Wi-Fi rollout update 2025.” https://thepointsguy.com/news/delta-free-wifi-rollout-update-2025/

United Airlines

4. UPI: “United Airlines temporarily disables Starlink internet due to interference.” https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/06/07/united-airines-starlink-interference/2531749331227/

5. Broadband Breakfast: “United Airlines restores Starlink Internet after radio-interference fix.” https://broadbandbreakfast.com/united-airlines-restores-starlink-internet-after-radio-interference/

American Airlines

6. FlyerTalk: International Panasonic Satellite Wi-Fi Experiences (thread). https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/1436931-international-panasonic-satellite-wifi-availability-experiences-21-printerfriendly.html

Qantas

7. 2PaxFly: “Qantas Wi-Fi on international flights delayed.” https://www.2paxfly.com/2024/12/20/qantas-wifi-on-international-flights-delayed/

8. One Mile at a Time: “Qantas free Wi-Fi rollout update 2025.” https://onemileatatime.com/news/qantas-free-wi-fi/

Japan Airlines

9. FlyerTalk: Bad JAL Wi-Fi Experiences (thread). https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan-airlines-jal-mileage-bank/2130210-anyone-else-had-bad-experiences-inflight-wifi.html

10. BoltFlight: “Japan Airlines (JAL) Flights & Reviews – An In-Depth Look at Service, Comfort and Controversy.” https://boltflight.com/japan-airlines-jal-flights-and-reviews-an-in-depth-look-at-service-comfort-and-controversy/

All Nippon Airways (ANA)

11. One Mile at a Time: “ANA to offer free Wi-Fi eventually.” https://onemileatatime.com/news/all-nippon-airways-free-wi-fi/

Cathay Pacific

12. FlyerTalk: CX A350 vs 777 Wi-Fi Experience (thread). https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cathay-pacific-cathay/1999321-inflight-wifi-experience-a350-panasonic-vs-777-gogo.html

13. One Mile at a Time: “Cathay Pacific now has Wi-Fi on all aircraft.” https://onemileatatime.com/news/cathay-pacific-wi-fi/

Singapore Airlines

14. FlyerTalk: “Unable to Use Free On-board Wi-Fi Without KrisFlyer Account” (thread). https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/singapore-airlines-krisflyer/2128258-unable-use-free-board-wifi-w-o-krisflyer-account-3-printerfriendly.html

Asiana Airlines

15. FlyerTalk: “Wi-Fi on A350 Reliable?” (thread). https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asiana-asiana-club/2129104-wifi-a350-reliable.html

16. TripAdvisor: Passenger review – “Wi-Fi not usable.” https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g1-d8729024-r922968229-Asiana_Airlines-World.html

Air New Zealand

17. Official: https://www.airnewzealand.com/wifi