United Airlines has today announced that it is speeding up the deployment of Starlink satellite infrastructure to offer in-flight Wi-Fi convenience. The company says testing will begin in February, and the first commercial flight with Starlink internet facility will roll off the tarmac this Spring.
The United Embraer E-175 will be the first aircraft to get the perk, and it will be followed by the entire two-cabin regional fleet of aircraft by the end of 2025. The first commercial flyer with Starlink connectivity will also take off before the ongoing year comes to an end.
Access will be given, free of charge, to all MileagePlus loyalty customers. “We have a lot planned for our MileagePlus members this year and adding Starlink to as many planes as we can – as quickly as we can – is at the center of it all,” MileagePlus chief, Richard Nunn, was quoted as saying.
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The carrier has plans to add Starlink infrastructure to its entire fleet. Once the plans materialize, United will become the first major US carrier to embrace Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi convenience.
United, however, won’t be the first airline to land Starlink Aviation services. Hawaiian Airlines started offering free Starlink-assisted Wi-Fi on its Airbus fleet starting September last year. The entirety of the A330 fleet, operating across Asia, Oceania, and the US, now offers free Starlink access.
A month later, Qatar Airways also launched its Boeing 777 flight with Starlink access and would extend it across its entire fleet without any added cost to customers. AirBaltic, too, has confirmed plans to equip its fleet with Starlink gear.
SpaceX-owned Starlink has also inked deals with a handful of overseas carriers to offer fast, low-latency in-flight Wi-Fi services. The Musk-backed company had initially aimed to deliver speeds of up to 350 Mbps on planes armed with its Aero Terminal kit.
At the moment, SpaceX’s Starlink for Aviation arm promises downlink and uplink speeds of up to 220 Mbps and 25 Mbps, respectively, per terminal. That kind of bandwidth is not only good for basic communication, but also for calling, video watching, and online gaming.
In addition to commercial airlines, Starlink is eying deals with private charter services as well as the government for special missions. Starlink, in partnership with T-Mobile, will also start testing its direct-to-cell service for phone satellite connectivity in the coming months.