United Airlines First Plane Gets Starlink
Intro
United Airlines has long traditionally lagged behind its fellow competitors when it comes to wifi, with expensive prices for long-haul flights, and slower speeds in comparison to American and Delta. However, United and SpaceX have recently come to an agreement whereby United will be installing Starlink fleetwide over the next few years, and the first plane has already been updated to feature Starlink.
The Details
Starlink wifi seems to be the go-to now for top-tier carriers, with Air New Zealand and Qatar Airways (to name a few) going forward with Starlink as their wifi. With the addition of Starlink to the fleet, United passengers will be able to stay connected from gate to gate, free of charge, and with exceptional speeds.
As of now, there has only been one regional jet that has received Starlink wifi as sort of a "dummy" tester to work out all of the kinks. However, as of May 2025, Starlink should be coming to over 40+ planes per month starting with the regional jets, continuing onto the narrowbodies, and eventually the widebodies.
Interestingly, Starlink is an extremely quick process to install, with the average turnaround time being about 8 hours. I'm guessing this helps United out considering they don't have to take a plane out of service for very long...
My Thoughts
United Airlines has been doing a lot of aspects right recently to add to their onboard experience. With the upgraded menus in Polaris, new dishware coming soon, and soon-to-be-free Starlink wifi for all passengers, this is another great look for the airline. Considering Delta Airlines offers free wifi to passengers, it's good to see that United will not only be offering free wifi, but better wifi than the competitors.
Final Thoughts
United Airlines will be bringing Starlink wifi fleetwide by sometime in 2027 (hopefully, 2026). For the time being, there is only one regional aircraft retrofitted to feature Starlink, but as of May expect 40+ of these jets per month to get the retrofit. If you happen to find yourself onboard one of these birds with Starlink, you are in luck, as you'll be treated to free gate-to-gate connectivity with high speeds.
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