United Airlines now says first flights with Starlink Wi-Fi will take off spring 2025

Last year, United announced its intention to upgrade its in-flight Wi-Fi using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, with testing expected to begin in the spring and the first equipped flights later this year. Now, the airline says it will begin testing “next month” before conducting its first commercial flights in the spring using Embraer E-175 aircraft, a narrow-body aircraft used on regional flights that can seat up to 88 passengers.

On top of that, United now plans to equip its entire two-class regional fleet by the end of 2025 and have its first Starlink-capable mainline aircraft in the air by the end of this year. Eventually, the airline expects that nearly 1,000 aircraft across its entire fleet will be equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi.

United currently has four different Wi-Fi providers; According to travel website one mile at a timeregional jets use Intelsat (formerly Gogo), and most widebody jets use Panasonic Wi-Fi. United also uses Viasat Wi-Fi on most of its 737 Max aircraft and some A319s and A321neos. Viasat’s speeds are among the best in its class and are commonly seen on American Airlines and Delta flights.

While many international airlines have announced similar plans to add Starlink to their fleets, United remains the only major domestic airline to use the technology owned by SpaceX. (JSX and Hawaiian have both said they plan to add Starlink to their aircraft.)

While in-flight Wi-Fi is still slow and unreliable for most air travelers, it seems we’re quickly approaching the tipping point in our expectations for fast, free connections. Mobile device users are increasingly accustomed to uninterrupted video streaming and other conveniences anytime, anywhere—even thousands of feet in the air.

Starlink owns Each terminal has download speeds of 40-220Mbps and upload speeds of 8-25Mbps, and United says it can support streaming, gaming, and even video conferencing. United said its Starlink-enabled Wi-Fi will be available to MileagePlus loyal customers for free (registration is also free).

“We have a lot of plans for MileagePlus members this year, and at the center of them is getting our members as quickly as possible,” Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus, said in a statement. Adding Starlink service to as many aircraft as possible will not only revolutionize the flying experience on United, but it will also bring a host of new partnerships and benefits to our members that would not be possible otherwise. “