United accelerates rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi with first transatlantic widebody flight | News
United is accelerating the rollout of high-speed, free Starlink Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members as United Flight 14 departs Newark/New York for London tonight aboard a Boeing 777-200. This is the airline’s first transatlantic widebody flight equipped with Starlink and the first of nearly 60 United widebody aircraft expected to feature Starlink this year. United expects to have its entire widebody fleet equipped by next summer as the airline expands Starlink’s fast, reliable internet across its fleet.
United accelerates rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi with first transatlantic widebody flight
As the world’s largest carrier across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, United will deploy Starlink’s low Earth orbit satellites to deliver reliable internet service around the globe, including flights over oceans, polar regions and other remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cellular or Wi-Fi signals.
More than 400 United aircraft currently have Starlink, and the airline expects to equip nearly 1,000 aircraft by the end of this year.
International travelers can expect Starlink-compatible 777-200 aircraft on routes between United’s hub airports in Newark/New York, Washington DC, Houston and San Francisco and popular international destinations such as London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Tokyo and more.
“United is changing what it means to stay connected on an overseas flight,” said David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer. “Starlink offers the same fast, reliable internet access and connectivity we all expect at home, delivered in the air at 35,000 feet and flying anywhere in the world. This technology has the potential to transform the way we think about the inflight experience for both our customers and our employees.”
Expansion of Starlink across United’s fleet
Since launching Starlink Wi-Fi last spring, the airline has flown more than 18.6 million passengers on Starlink-equipped aircraft on more than 311,000 flights, powering 9.9 million devices – and Wi-Fi customer satisfaction scores on those planes have nearly doubled in that time.
“Our ability to deploy Starlink Wi-Fi across our fleet at this speed and scale is a testament to our team’s expertise and the strength of our partnership with Starlink,” said Ankit Gupta, United’s Chief Air Operations Officer. “Together, we have built a highly efficient installation program that is transforming our customers’ inflight experience. With Starlink expected on nearly 1,000 aircraft by the end of the year, we are moving quickly to bring fast, reliable connectivity to more travelers than ever before.”
Unlock new travel experiences
United has more than 167,000 screens in the seatbacks of nearly 900 planes and plans to roughly double that number as it takes delivery of hundreds of new planes and retrofits existing planes.
The rollout of Starlink will further strengthen that investment, enabling a more connected and personalized inflight experience across both personal devices and rear-seat entertainment systems. Together, Starlink connectivity and United’s next-generation seatback technology deliver faster, more seamless access to content and digital experiences customers use every day, with performance closer to home connectivity than traditional inflight Wi-Fi. MileagePlus members on Starlink-equipped aircraft can experience:
Gaming at 10,000 meters: Jump back into live games, stream gameplay and stay connected to gaming platforms in real time.
Seamless shopping and planning: Browse online, schedule grocery delivery, book restaurant reservations and finalize travel plans – all from your seat.
Real-time collaboration at work: upload and download files, edit shared documents, and update work as a team without interruption.
Multi-device connectivity: Connect to multiple devices simultaneously, including phone, tablet, laptop and seatback screens, without major delays.
Starlink Wi-Fi is free for United® MileagePlus® members and customers will receive a notification before their flight if it is equipped with Starlink.
Visit united.com/starlink for additional information.
