United Airlines has announced an accelerated timeline to bring Starlink fast, reliable connectivity to its travellers around the world.

Starlink delivers high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world. As the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit (LEO), Starlink delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more. Starlink is engineered and operated by SpaceX.

The airline now expects to begin testing Starlink next month with the first commercial flight anticipated to take off this spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft. United now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end of this year and have its first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of this year. Ultimately, United will add Starlink to its entire fleet.

Access will be free for all MileagePlus customers and includes inflight entertainment experiences such as streaming services, shopping and gaming. Membership to MileagePlus is also free and people can sign-up at united.com/starlink.

“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 centre of it all,” said Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus. “It’s not only going to revolutionise 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.”

Last September, United signed the industry’s largest agreement of its kind with SpaceX (www.spacex.com) to bring Starlink to its entire fleet. And, starting in a few months, the airline’s customers will enjoy the same high-speed, low-latency internet service in the air that they have on the ground. This gate-to-gate connectivity will enable experiences in the sky on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously.

On an average day, about 31,000 United seats are filled by MileagePlus customers using their miles – that’s the same as filling about 100 Boeing 777 aircraft. During the summer of 2024, more than three million MileagePlus customers flew on award tickets.

With US hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, San Francisco and Washington DC, United (www.united.com) operates a global route network.