A United Airlines airplane sits parked at a gate at Newark Liberty International Airport on Feb. 20, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey.
United Airlines says it expects its first flights equipped with Starlink technology to take to the skies in May after the FAA gave its approval for the rollout.
According to the company, the FAA issued a “Supplemental Type Certificate” allowing for installation of Starlink technology on Embraer 175 jets, a regional jet United operates.
According to a press release, United intends to install the technology on up to 40 regional jets each month, and the expectation is that all of the company’s two-cabin regional jets produced by Embraer will have the service equipped by year’s end.
It is expected that the first flights equipped with the technology will go into service sometime in May, ahead of the company’s original timeline for the rollout.
Starlink is a unit of SpaceX, and has reached deals with multiple airlines to provide in-flight internet. The company also has reached deals with other providers to use its technology, including cellphone giant T-Mobile.
According to United, Starlink access will be free for MileagePlus customers, and will include Wi-Fi speeds of up to 250 megabits per second. It will also include inflight entertainment.
Access to MileagePlus is free, according to United, with sign-ups available on their website.
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Ultimately, United’s goal will be to install Starlink on all of the planes in its fleet, but such a move would require approval from the FAA.
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