American United Airline has set a new standard of inflight connectivity by signing the industry’s largest agreement of its kind with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s fast, reliable Wi-fi service to the airline’s mainline and regional aircraft fleet, for free.
United customers will soon enjoy the same high-speed, low-latency internet service in the air that they enjoy on the ground.
The new, gate-to-gate connectivity will unlock game-changing experiences in the sky at scale that no other major U.S. airline provides like access to live TV and streaming services, social media, shopping, gaming and more, on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously.
United is also expected to have Starlink on all United aircraft – more than 1,000 planes over the next several years. Testing begins in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later that year.Starlink service on United aircraft will be free.
Leveraging advanced satellites with its deep experience in both spacecraft and on-orbit operations, Starlink is engineered by SpaceX and delivers 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.
In his comments, the United airline Chief Executive Officer, Scott Kirby declared: “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.This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalised. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.”
For the President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell; “We’re excited to team up with United Airlines to transform the inflight experience,” said President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX.
“With Starlink onboard your United flight, you’ll have access to the world’s most advanced high-speed internet from gate to gate, and all the miles in between.”
The new service will also benefit United’s frontline employees – United pilots, flight attendants, technicians and gate agents all use mobile devices to help run the operation and serve customers.
