United Airlines Signs Deal with Starlink for Free Inflight Wi-Fi

United Airlines has signed an agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s Wi-Fi to its fleet starting next year, the first major U.S. airline to do so.

United says that it will add Starlink to its 1,000-plus jets over the next several years, with testing starting in early 2025. The first passenger flights featuring the service are expected to launch later in 2025.

The Starlink Wi-Fi will be free for all of United’s guests, giving passengers the option to live steam movies and live TV, game, shop online, and work across multiple devices at once, with no extra charge. They’ll also be able to use Starlink to connect to a United customer support agent via the United app, allowing them to get real-time info on connection or make flight changes inflight.

Passengers will be able to use the service either through their own personal devices, or through seatback screens.

“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,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.”

Many travelers and travel advisors will be familiar with Starlink because of its widespread adoption in the cruise industry. Carnival Cruise Line, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Holland America, Oceania, Cunard, and many more lines have added Starlink to its ships to much fanfare this year.

In the air, Canada’s WestJet announced recently its own deal to bring Starlink to its passengers. On WestJet, Starlink is expected to roll out by the end of 2024, with all of WestJet’s narrowbody fleet being updated in 2025, and the wide-body fleet in 2026.