United Airlines, a leading American carrier, has set a new standard of inflight connectivity by signing the industry’s largest agreement of its kind with space company SpaceX to bring Starlink’s satellite-based Wi-Fi service to the airline’s mainline and regional aircraft fleet for free.

In a press statement, United says that 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 adds that its customers will soon enjoy the same high-speed, low-latency internet service in the air that they enjoy on the ground. 

It says that the new gate-to-gate connectivity will unlock game-changing experiences in the sky at scale that no other major US airline provides like access to live TV and streaming services, social media, shopping and gaming, on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously.

The statement adds that 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 says it expects to have Starlink on all United aircraft, numbering more than 1,000 planes, over the next several years. Testing begins in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later that year.

Scott Kirby

“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,” says United CEO Scott Kirby.

Gwynne Shotwell

“We are excited to team up with United Airlines to transform the inflight experience. 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,” says Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX.

In addition to using Starlink connectivity on personal devices, United says its 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. 

The statement adds that its inflight content is available in more than 20 different languages. The new United signature interiors include 16-inch HD touch screens in each United Polaris business class seat, 13-inch screens in every United First Class seat and 10-inch screens in every United Economy seat. 

In addition to seatback screens in every seat, United’s new signature interior also includes Bluetooth connectivity, power in every seat, larger overhead bins with room for everyone’s rollaboard and LED lighting.

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. As United rolls out the Starlink more broadly, it will give those teams the same rich capabilities in the air as they have on the ground, including when working in remote location or when traditional services might be impacted like during power outages or natural disasters.