ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood cheered Elon Musk's announcement that Starlink will be installed on more than 500 American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) narrowbody jets starting in 2027, linking the deal to her own large stash of AAdvantage miles and SpaceX's broader ambitions.
Wood Sees Miles Getting Turbocharged
"Beautiful! I have accumulated ~3 million frequent flyer miles on #AmericanAirlines, a number that Starlink will help turbocharge in the years ahead," Wood wrote Wednesday on X, quoting Musk's post about the deal. "Maybe AA/Starlink miles will translate into Starship miles so that I can fly to the moon or Mars!"
American Airlines said on Tuesday that it will install Starlink on more than 500 narrowbody aircraft beginning in the first quarter of 2027. The rollout will cover domestic and short-haul international routes. American already offers free Wi-Fi to AAdvantage members on most flights through a partnership with AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).
Airlines Race For Faster Wi-Fi
The deal places American deeper into a fast-moving airline connectivity race. Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) said in March that it will use Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Leo for Wi-Fi on 500 aircraft beginning in 2028. United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) and Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE:ALK) also have Starlink agreements.
Wood's enthusiasm also reflects ARK's financial exposure to SpaceX. SpaceX was the ARK Venture Fund's largest holding at 17.02% of net assets as of March 31, 2026. ARK has also modeled SpaceX at an expected enterprise value of about $2.5 trillion by 2030, with Starlink central to that upside case.
Starlink Anchors SpaceX Growth Case
The airline deal comes as SpaceX prepares for a possible public listing at a reported valuation of nearly $1.75 trillion. Starlink is the primary economic engine of SpaceX, generating roughly 61% to 69% of the company’s total sales. The satellite internet unit generated $11.39 billion in revenue last year, establishing itself as SpaceX's largest and most profitable business division.
Musk also said this week that Starlink could one day carry most internet traffic, effectively making it "the Internet" as satellite capacity grows.
Meanwhile, according to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, AAL carries a robust Growth score of 91.36%, while maintaining a bullish trend across short, medium and long-term trading periods.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
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