United Airlines has announced its latest move to offer free Starlink Wi-Fi to its passengers. The airline promises the newest, fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi service throughout its fleet for free. According to the press release, United’s customers will soon enjoy the same high-speed Internet connection they experience on the ground.

United Airlines to offer passengers free Starlink Wi-Fi in 2025

These days everyone wants to experience super high-speed Internet wherever they go and United Airlines has listened. With the new, free Starlink Wi-Fi on board its planes, passengers will enjoy all the highlights, such as streaming services, live TV, shopping, gaming and social media while on their way from A to B.

Moreover, the Wi-Fi service will be available on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously.

When will passengers have access to Starlink Wi-Fi?

Reportedly, service testing kicks off in early 2025, with the first passenger flights expected later in the year. Moreover, within the next several years, the airline expects to install Starlink on its more than 1,000 planes.

Engineered by SpaceX, Starlink delivers a fast Internet connection around the world. This includes when in polar regions, over oceans and in remote locations formerly unreachable by traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals. Even better, United is set to be the first carrier worldwide to offer passengers the Starlink service as this scale.

United CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement:

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 in-flight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.

Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX shared the excitement, saying:

We’re excited to team up with United Airlines to transform the in-flight 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.

What will United Airline’s new Starlink Wi-Fi service include?

To get an idea of what will be on offer during a United flight, the Starlink service will allow live streaming. with access to personal streaming services and live TV shows and movies without buffering, lag or the need to download content in advance.

For business class passengers, Starlink will offer workplace productivity, allowing users to download and upload documents and edit shared files in real-time.

For those who love gaming, passengers will be able to play live games and follow live gaming streaming services.

When seeking retail therapy, Starlink Wi-Fi will allow passengers to shop online, make restaurant and travel reservations and schedule grocery deliveries from the comfort of their seat.

While the service is available on the seatback screens, it will also allow multiple devices to connect under one user.

Meanwhile, in-flight content will be available to passengers in over 20 languages. Moreover, new signature interiors include 16-inch HD touch screens in each United Polaris business class seat. Those passengers in a first-class seat will have access to 13-inch screens, while economy seats will feature 10-inch screens.

But that’s not all, as United’s new interior will feature Bluetooth connectivity, with power in every seat, larger overhead bins with space for everyone’s rollaboard and LED lighting.

The new Starlink service also benefits United’s employees

Besides giving passengers everything they could wish for during their flight, the new Wi-Fi service will also benefit the airline’s frontline employees. Pilots, flight attendants, technicians and gate agents will all use mobile devices to help run the operation and serve their passengers.

Once United Airlines starts rolling out the Starlink connectivity more broadly, it will also give employees the same capabilities in the air as they have on the ground. It will be available when working in remote locations, or when traditional services are impacted due to natural disasters or power outages.