Elon Musk, the Chief Engineer of SpaceX, speaking about the Starlink project at MWC hybrid Keynote ... [+]
It seems like everyone’s getting on board with Elon Musk these days. His latest partner is United Airlines. The airline just announced that is accelerating its timetable to equip its planes with Musk’s Starlink satellite-based internet communications. United will offer onboard Starlink connectivity free to Mileage Plus members.
United originally signed the aviation industry's largest agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink to its fleet last September. Starlink is available to Hawaiian Airlines (now part of Alaska Airlines) passengers on select flights, and has also been chosen by AirBaltic, Air France, Air New Zealand and Qatar Airways.
How does Starlink differ from existing onboard Wi-Fi and Internet services? According to a United news release, “As the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit, Starlink delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more.”
High-flying Mileage Plus members on board United flights could even use the technology to take Zoom or Microsoft Teams calls, potentially bringing a new level of irritation to their seat mates.
While Wi-Fi and internet connectivity onboard is viewed by passengers as yet another unbundled airline profit center, it may not be. United, for example, currently offers paid Wi-Fi options to customers through four different internet providers. But customers often find current Wi-Fi solutions to be costly and unreliable.
Currently, United provides paid Wi-Fi options to customers through four different providers. The service costs MileagePlus members $8, and nonmembers $10 to log on.
United Airlines poster promoting the airline's move to high-speed Starlink connectivity.
In September when the Starlink deal was first announced , United said that charging a fee for internet prevents the network from being overloaded and allows it to function relatively smoothly. On a press call during the original announcement in September, a spokesperson pointed out that "It's not enough anymore just to say you have Wi-Fi on the plane," saying that for it to be valuable to customers it has to be reliable and fast.
The Starlink service is billed at providing such services without a lag from buffering. With the Starlink agreement, United Airlines will be offering high-bandwidth, low-latency Wi-Fi and internet to Mileage Plus members for free. Starlink will ultimately be available on United’s fleet of 1,000 aircraft, enabling customers to do things like stream movies and television without buffering.
Starlink is engineered and operated by SpaceX, which the company modestly calls ‘the world's leading provider of launch services.’
United chose the technology-heavy Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2025) to announce it Starlink status update. Starlink is also getting additional publicity during the tragic Los Angeles fires, delivering high-bandwidth live video and audio reporting. One local TV reporter noted, “"The only reason you're able to see us right now is because of Starlink. There's absolutely no cell service at all in this whole area."
The airline says it will begin testing Starlink next month. United expect its first commercial flight equipped with Starlink, an Embraer E-175 regional jet, to take off this spring. The airline now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet of aircraft by the end of this year.
Illustration SpaceX's first post from space to the social platform X via Starlink, February 26, ... [+]
United says it will have its first Starlink-enabled mainline aircraft flying before the end of this year. Ultimately, United will add Starlink to its entire fleet, which currently consists of 994 aircraft.
The airline says internet access via Starlink will be free for all MileagePlus customers. Membership in the MileagePlus frequent flyer program is also free, with more information on the coming Starlink services here.
"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," said Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus. "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."
While Starlink service is not available around the entire world according to this interactive Starlink service map, it is available across most of North and South America, Europe and Australia, with increasing coverage in Asia and Africa starting this year.
Currently there are about 6760 Starlink satellites in orbit (the constellation of satellites orbits at about 342 miles above the earth's surface) with a planned total of 42,000. While Starlink service is increasingly popular, some space experts are concerned that the large number of Starlink satellites may present an increasing collision hazard in Earth's orbit.
Still, United is betting big on what it calls “the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky.”
"We're excited to team up with United Airlines to transform the inflight experience," Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX said in September. "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."
A United Express Embraer E175LR aircraft approaches Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for a ... [+]
