United has signed the largest industry agreement of its kind with SpaceX to bring Starlink Wi-Fi service to more than 1,000 planes – and at no extra charge for passengers.
United says customers will soon enjoy the same high-speed, low-latency internet service in the air that they enjoy on the ground. The airline expects to have Starlink on all United aircraft – including mainline and regional planes – over the next several years.
Testing will begin in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later next year.
"Everything you can do on the ground, you'll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world," said United CEO Scott Kirby. "This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that's more personalized. United's culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers."
The new, gate-to-gate connectivity will be available on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously.
United Airlines Boeing 757 taking off. (Photo Credit: Thiago Trevisan/Adobe)
United says it chose Starlink because of its ability to deliver internet access around the world, including over oceans, polar regions and other remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals. United is the largest airline across both the Atlantic and Pacific and will be the first carrier in the world to commit to offering Starlink service at this scale.
United's new Starlink Wi-Fi service will enable experiences including:
· Live streaming: access personal streaming services and watch live TV, shows and movies without buffering, lag or the need to download content in advance.
· Workplace productivity: download/upload documents and edit shared files in real-time.
· Gaming: play live games and follow along on live gaming streaming services.
· E-Commerce: shop online, schedule grocery delivery and make restaurant and travel reservations all from the comfort of your seat.
· Multiple devices: connect multiple devices at once, under one user.
· United app live support: download the United app while inflight to get real-time info about connections and access customer support from a real agent through Agent on Demand.
In addition to using Starlink connectivity on personal devices, United customers also will have access on their seatback screens. United has nearly 100,000 seatback screens across its fleet, with plans to grow these numbers as the airline continues to take delivery of new airplanes and retrofit existing aircraft with its new United signature interiors.
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