It's easy to find the Guru fluffers because if they have to resort to talking about there's room for competition after losing a top account then you know they're full of it.
- United is in the top three in airline revenue size
- United is in the top three of passengers carried
- United is second in fleet size behind American
Breaking into the top tier of airlines is a complete win for StarLink at the thorough expense of Viasat. There is now a top tier proof point, wait for the next shoe to drop with others who don't want to be left behind. United didn't just dip their toe into StarLink such that Viasat could continue defending our share there, they sent every GEO operator packing for all of their planes. I too was surprised the deal was for the entire fleet, but the message is clear. Yet given our denial over several years, I'm also not surprised. We'll hear lots of spin, but that won't wipe the ugly off the future this episode bodes.