Starlink Update: New In-Motion Speed Limits (and What It Means for Pilots)
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Roam and Priority plans now have a maximum supported in-motion speed of 100 mph (87 knots).
If you’ve been using Starlink to stay connected in the cockpit, Starlink just issued an important update that’s worth understanding before your next trip. Here’s the plain-English version of what changed, what your options are, and how to decide whether an Aviation plan makes sense for you.
Starlink says that Roam and Priority plans now have a maximum supported in-motion speed of 100 mph (87 knots), effective March 3, 2026. Starlink also notes that they’ve detected some customers operating at higher speeds, and they’re pointing those customers to new Aviation plan options designed for higher-speed use. So in summary:
- 100 mph (87 knots) maximum supported in-motion speed
- Applies to Roam and Priority plans
- Starlink describes these plans as intended for in-motion use on land or water (driving, boating)
New higher-speed Aviation plan options
Starlink has also introduced two plans designed specifically for aviation speeds. Identity verification is required, including submission of a valid passport and aircraft tail number:
Aviation 300MPH
- $250/month base subscription
- 20GB included each month
- In-motion supported up to 300 mph (260 knots)
- Overage data: $10/GB
Aviation 450MPH
- $1,000/month base subscription
- 20GB included each month
- In-motion supported up to 450 mph (391 knots)
- Overage data: $50/GB
For most pilots, the big takeaway is simple:
- 100 mph (87 knots) is below the cruise speed of a lot of GA airplanes. If you’re using Starlink in flight on a Roam or Priority plan, this change could matter immediately.
- On the ground, you’re probably fine. Taxi speeds, ramp operations, and most “mobile but slow” use are well under 100 mph.
- Starlink is steering true in-flight users toward their Aviation plans. If your goal is consistent connectivity in cruise, Starlink is basically saying, “pick an Aviation plan that matches your typical speeds.”
At the end of the day, your best move comes down to how and where you use Starlink. If you’re mostly connecting on the ground or in slower in-motion situations, staying on Roam or Priority and keeping it under 100 mph is the simplest, most cost-effective path. If you want reliable connectivity during cruise flight for typical GA speeds, the Aviation 300MPH plan is the most practical fit. Just keep an eye on data usage since 20GB can go fast with streaming, but stretches a lot further for weather, messaging, and light browsing. And if you’re consistently operating at higher cruise speeds and truly need airborne connectivity, Starlink’s Aviation 450MPH plan is built for that mission, with pricing and overage costs to match.
Explore the 300/450mph plans here.
This is a real shame! 90% of all GA planes operates between 100 and 160 kts and this no more than twice a month. $250 is five times the price for 1/5 of the capacity we had earlier. This is not a simple correction but a change of absurd dimensions and clearly a rip off for thousands of low budget GA pilots who invested in a Starlink Mini. Why not a third plan for speeds below 160kts at an normal price? Hello AOPA are you still alive???
This is a total ripoff! I never would have bought the Starlink Mini if I would have known I would be subjected to a 500% increase in price or $2,400 per year only five months later! I have tried to communicate with Starlink, but all they have is a Chat. The chat does not see the problem. Elon Musk would never accept a 500% increase from a supplier or as a customer. I have asked AOPA, NBAA and ABS to get involved.
This smacks of greed, strong statement out of the box but really, what else could it be? I fly twice a month in a weather and information infrastructure compromised area of the World. Starlink made my operation so much easier and safer yet now, l’m going back to scratchy GSM networks because the $250 is ludicrous. The guy next to me does animal anti-poaching for a charity, he relied massively on his Starlink – alas, no longer. Seems to me this was not thought out very well, it’s a blanket patch in a space where one size does not fit all.
Keep in mind also that cruise speed is being mentioned in the article, though speed over the ground is what Starlink cares about. I was going to get a mini so my family can have connectivity over long cross countries, but I will no longer consider that. Another option not mentioned was instead of typically looking for good tailwinds, one can look for absurd headwinds in order to avoid the absurd price plans!
My Starlink service will stay paused until they sort this out.
Good news is that pausing is free (for now!)
Easy way to fix this, everyone and I mean everyone shuts them off and quit funding them. They will have to get real or out of business. The customer actually has the final say, just have to use the power
Really?!? He’s is quite literally the richest man on Earth. Whatever happens, they will NOT go out of business, I assure you.
I just put mine on pause
Sorry, but how is the expense borne by Starlink greater if the customer is moving faster? Is there a technical reason or are the rates just a shakedown for the presumably richer customers?
I’m one of the thousands that told SpaceX to pound sand, and immediately canceled my service plan. But for those on Pause, I’d carefully check the small print. It’s my understanding that a Pause still incurs a $5 monthly fee. In other words, as the saying goes, there are still “no free lunches” in today’s world.
Received a Starlink Mini as a Christmas present from my wife. Bought a cover and the correct cable for my 414. Got to use it once. Immediately paused my account when this came out. If nothing changes pretty quick, I will cancel and put this thing on ebay, or I may just take it out back use it for target practice just to make me feel better. Look for that on youtube!
My Aircraft’s Maximum Structural Airspeed is 160 MPH… NOT Knots… Miles per hour. Vne= 165. I cruise at a far lower airspeed. Jan Moons is correct. Most of my flying is pleasure, and only occasionally instructing in this “EVERYONE IS BROKE” Trump War Economy. I was talking to my A&P, IA about the acceptable mounting for the Starlink. However with this development at this time, I was saved by my careful step by step approach and have not yet purchased a Starlink Mini. If the price does not go back down to $50.00 a month, then I will make a big saving and based on my typical flight in the Southwestern U.S.A., I will seldom fly in conditions where a Starlink is a real “Safety Necessity.” In other words, if the weather is ANYTHING like marginal, I will take a swim in my pool or light a nice fire in a fire pit and enjoy the incremental safety and savings.