Ryanair Rejects Musk's Starlink Service, Claims Passengers Won't Pay
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 23 2026
0mins
Source: Newsfilter
- Cost Barrier: Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary stated that the installation cost of Starlink WiFi service is approximately $170,000 per aircraft, and with passengers unwilling to pay a fee of 1-2 euros, the airline cannot shoulder an annual cost of up to $250 million.
- Market Trend Shift: While long-haul carriers like Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic have signed up for Starlink, viewing high-quality WiFi as essential for attracting customers, short-haul airlines like Ryanair believe such investments do not align with their business model.
- Passenger Demand Analysis: O'Leary noted that less than 10% of Ryanair's passengers are expected to pay for WiFi, making the economic viability of offering this service on short flights questionable, which further impacts the company's profitability.
- Competitor Dynamics: In contrast to Ryanair, full-service airlines like British Airways and Air France-KLM have adopted WiFi as a
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy VSAT?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on VSAT
Wall Street analysts forecast VSAT stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VSAT is 43.80 USD with a low forecast of 36.00 USD and a high forecast of 52.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
6 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 46.230
Low
36.00
Averages
43.80
High
52.00
Current: 46.230
Low
36.00
Averages
43.80
High
52.00
About VSAT
Viasat, Inc. is a global communications company. Its segments include communication services and defense and advanced technologies. The communication services segment provides a wide range of broadband and narrowband communications solutions across government and commercial mobility markets, as well as for residential and enterprise fixed broadband customers. In addition, this segment includes the development and sale of a wide array of advanced satellite and wireless products and terminals that support or enable the provision of fixed and mobile broadband and narrowband services. The defense and advanced technologies segment develops and offers a diverse array of vertically integrated solutions to government and commercial customers, leveraging its core technical competencies in encryption, cybersecurity, tactical gateways, modems and waveforms. Its services are designed to provide customers with the capacity density, market access, speed, bandwidth and responsiveness they need.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Ryanair Rejects Musk's Starlink Service, Claims Passengers Won't Pay
- Cost Barrier: Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary stated that the installation cost of Starlink WiFi service is approximately $170,000 per aircraft, and with passengers unwilling to pay a fee of 1-2 euros, the airline cannot shoulder an annual cost of up to $250 million.
- Market Trend Shift: While long-haul carriers like Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic have signed up for Starlink, viewing high-quality WiFi as essential for attracting customers, short-haul airlines like Ryanair believe such investments do not align with their business model.
- Passenger Demand Analysis: O'Leary noted that less than 10% of Ryanair's passengers are expected to pay for WiFi, making the economic viability of offering this service on short flights questionable, which further impacts the company's profitability.
- Competitor Dynamics: In contrast to Ryanair, full-service airlines like British Airways and Air France-KLM have adopted WiFi as a
Continue Reading
Viasat Inc (VSAT) Options Volume Hits 8,401 Contracts, 46.2% of Average Daily Volume
- Viasat Options Volume: Today, Viasat Inc's options volume reached 8,401 contracts, equivalent to approximately 840,100 shares, representing 46.2% of its average daily trading volume of 1.8 million shares over the past month, indicating a significant increase in market interest.
- High-Frequency Trading Analysis: Among Viasat's options, the $30 strike put option is particularly active, with 5,265 contracts traded today, representing about 526,500 shares, reflecting investor expectations of potential downward price movement.
- Papa John's Options Activity: Concurrently, Papa John's International, Inc. saw options trading volume of 3,741 contracts, approximately 374,100 shares, which is 45.8% of its average daily trading volume of 816,670 shares over the past month, indicating strong market activity for the stock.
- Bullish Call Option Trend: For Papa John's, the $40 strike call option has seen a trading volume of 2,228 contracts, approximately 222,800 shares, suggesting increased investor confidence in the stock's future upward potential.
Continue Reading