September 13, 2024— United Airlines has entered into a significant partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink Wi-Fi to over a thousand of its planes in the coming years. This collaboration aims to transform the inflight experience by offering “gate-to-gate connectivity,” allowing passengers to enjoy seamless access to entertainment, social media, online shopping, and even gaming while flying.
The airline emphasized the unique advantages of Starlink’s satellite-based service, noting that it will enable internet access across the globe, including typically hard-to-reach areas such as oceans, polar regions, and other remote locations that have been inaccessible via traditional cell towers or Wi-Fi signals.
Testing of the Starlink service is expected to begin in early 2025, with the first passenger flights offering the complimentary Wi-Fi service later that year.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated, “Soon, everything you do on the ground, you’ll be able to do onboard a United flight, even at 35,000 feet, and virtually anywhere in the world.”
Currently, United offers inflight Wi-Fi on domestic and short-haul international routes, with prices set at $8 for loyalty members and $10 for other passengers, according to CNBC.
This move follows a trend set by other airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways, which have also begun offering free Wi-Fi services to enhance the travel experience for their customers.