British Airways will allow voice and video calls on flights

Following a partnership with Elon Musk’s Wi-Fi provider Starlink, British Airways is shaking up air travel norms by allowing in-flight calls.

Crying babies and turbulence are troublesome enough, but passengers may soon face a new in-flight disruption. 

British Airways is among the increasing number of airlines globally rolling out Elon Musk’s super-fast Starlink Wi-Fi across their fleets, which provides the world’s fastest internet in the sky. The airline is even offering it for free in every cabin on multiple devices per passenger. But unlike most other carriers who have blocked or banned in-flight calls, British Airways will allow passengers to make voice and video calls over Wi-Fi-based platforms such as FaceTime, Teams, WhatsApp and Zoom on their planes. 

British Airways is defying in-flight convention. (Credit: Unsplash/the blowup)

A number of airlines – including United Airlines, Air France, Emirates and Qatar Airways (which topped the world’s best airlines list for 2026) – already use Starlink, but British Airways is the first carrier in the UK to implement the service. It launched its first Starlink flight in March 2026 and appears to be following in Qatar Airways’ footsteps, which also allows voice and video calls.

In the USA, making voice and video calls on a plane is strictly prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration to prevent interference with aircraft communications and cellular networks on the ground. Australia’s major airlines – including Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia – also have a ban on in-flight voice calls. 

British Airways passengers can now make in-flight voice and video calls with Starlink. (Credit: British Airways)

The new British Airways initiative will allow greater connectivity on board, signalling a farewell to the era of switching off when you fly. While some passengers may be delighted to know they can now talk to their spouse over WhatsApp or even jump on a business call, others won’t be so pleased. The major concern is increased noise disturbance for passengers seated near the caller, as well as uncertainty that cabin crew will be able to enforce courteous behaviour. 

British Airways’ Wi-Fi usage policy on their website asks passengers to be considerate and “keep your voice low and use headphones” if making a call. It also reminds passengers to be mindful of the time of day: “[Wi-Fi] use on a night flight can be particularly disruptive to fellow passengers, so please keep noise, screen brightness and activity to a minimum during these hours.” 

But whether or not most passengers will actually stick to these guidelines? Time will tell.