United Airlines announced an accelerated rollout of Starlink satellite infrastructure to provide passengers with convenient Wi-Fi access during flights. Testing of the new system will begin in February 2025, with the first Starlink-connected commercial flight scheduled for this spring.
The Embraer E-175 aircraft will be the first in United’s fleet to be equipped with Starlink. By the end of 2025, all of the company’s regional jets will have access to this technology. The company also plans to connect Starlink to its entire fleet, making it the first major U.S. carrier to offer the service to passengers.
All members of the MileagePlus loyalty program will be able to use Wi-Fi via Starlink absolutely freely.
However, United is not pioneering the use of Starlink in aviation. Last September, Hawaiian Airlines began offering free Wi-Fi on its Airbus planes serving routes in Asia, Oceania and the United States. In October, Qatar Airways introduced Starlink on Boeing 777 aircraft and extended the service to its entire fleet at no additional cost to passengers. AirBaltic has also confirmed plans to install Starlink equipment on its aircraft.
Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has agreements with several international air carriers, providing high-speed, low-latency Wi-Fi during flights. Initially claimed speeds were up to 350 Mbps, but Starlink Aviation is now promising up to 220 Mbps for upload and 25 Mbps for download per terminal. This allows for not only basic communications, but also video calls, watching videos and playing online games.
In addition to commercial airlines, Starlink is looking at partnering with private charter services and government organizations for special missions. In partnership with T-Mobile, the company plans to begin testing satellite connectivity for cell phones in the near future, bringing a new level of connectivity to even remote regions.
Earlier we reported on how Kyivstar was introducing Starlink satellite communications using direct-to-cell technology.
According to airbaltic.com
