United Airlines struck a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide efficient — and free — internet service aboard carrier’s entire fleet, the company said Friday.
The Chicago-based airline is banking on the speedy service to help it carve out an edge over rivals in the increasingly competitive industry.
The internet service will be a free perk for passengers, piggybacking off airlines like Delta, which began offering free in-flight Wi-Fi in 2023 through a partnership with T-Mobile.
Passengers aboard all of United’s more than 1,000 planes will be able to access live TV, streaming services and use multiple devices at once – just like they would in their homes.
“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,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement.
“This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized.”
Details of the financial agreement between United and Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, were not disclosed.
United — which has a market capitalization of $16.7 billion — said it will start testing the Starlink service early next year.
The first passenger flights equipped with the service will likely fly later in 2025, the airline said.
Starlink’s internet service will be more reliable than ever before, especially over oceans and spotty areas, the airline said.
Internet service has become a near necessity for airlines as passengers become increasingly plugged in. But it can often glitch or give out, frustrating travelers.
The United deal is not Starlink’s first foray into in-air internet service.
The company has partnered with Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways, but United will be its largest partner yet – testing how well the satellite provider will operate on a large scale.
Linda Jojo, United’s chief customer officer, told The Wall Street Journal that Starlink can handle a crush of demand.
“We know we can have multiple devices per passenger and this is going to work,” she said. “And it’s going to work in a game-changing way, like it’s your living room.”
The internet equipment on United planes will be subject to approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Starlink operates a constellation of more than 6,300 satellites, which SpaceX started launching in 2019.
Starlink will provide “the world’s most advanced high-speed internet” aboard United flights, SpaceX President and COO Gwynee Shotwell said in a statement.
Starlink has proven to be a lucrative business for SpaceX, recording $1.4 billion in revenue in 2022, according to The Journal.
