United Airlines accelerates its Starlink rollout, with first commercial flight planned for spring

A few months ago, United Airlines announced its deal with Starlink to offer in-flight internet access for its passengers. At the time, the airline said it would start testing the new service in early 2024 and then offer it on passenger flights later in the year. United has now accelerated this timeline a bit, with testing starting next month and the first passenger flight to offer Starlink, an Embraer E-175 regional jet, taking off this spring.

When I talked to United’s Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo, she told me the company had an aggressive schedule for the retrofit, with the installation of the new Starlink terminal scheduled to take about two days while the aircraft is in base (with the option to split the install over two nights, too).

United now expects to install Starlink on its entire regional fleet by the end of the year. The first mainline plane (think Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s) will get Starlink before the end of the year.

The promise here is that Starlink will basically make the in-flight Wi-Fi experience the same as on the ground, with enough bandwidth to allow anyone on the plane to stream live video, access productivity apps and play live games.

“We have a lot planned for our MileagePlus members this year and adding Starlink service on as many planes as we can – as quickly as we can – is at the center of it all,” said Richard Nunn, CEO of United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program. “It’s not only going to revolutionize the experience of flying United, but it’s also going to unlock tons of new partnerships and benefits for our members that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”

Once it’s available, Wi-Fi over Starlink will be free for all members of United’s MileagePlus program. Fliers will also be able to connect with multiple devices under the same account.