Most travelers don’t get excited about the prospects of boarding a regional jet for their flight. But if you find yourself on one of United Airlines’ smaller planes, there’s reason to be a little less apprehensive: Fast, free on-board internet.
The Chicago-based carrier on Monday announced it had completed Starlink Wi-Fi installations on nearly all of its “dual cabin” regional jets — its “United Express” planes that are big enough to feature both a first-class cabin and coach.
But the Starlink service is available to all passengers, regardless of cabin — you just need a MileagePlus loyalty number to log on and surf.
In all, United said some 300-plus aircraft now have the higher-caliber (and complimentary to customers) Starlink tech — a milestone the airline reached 10 months after the first jet equipped with the satellites took to the skies.
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I tried out the service on a media flight last spring and can attest: It’s very fast.
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United first announced plans to deploy Starlink service across its entire fleet of more than 1,000 planes in the fall of 2024, amid a wave of U.S. airlines upgrading their on-board Wi-Fi (and, increasingly, making it free to loyalty members).
As of this week, the carrier notes that a quarter of all its departures on any given day are outfitted with Starlink (that’s a quarter of all departures, not planes; these regional jets are workhorses, hopping between numerous United hubs and outposts every day).
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800 planes to get Starlink by the end of 2026
Up next: United’s bigger planes will get the tech.
In fact, the carrier just started outfitting its larger mainline aircraft late last year. By the end of 2026, the airline expects more than 800 of its planes will have Starlink on board.
Starlink installations — and the airline’s yearslong push to upgrade its cabins, too — will wrap up in 2027, United’s chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said on last month’s earnings call.
Presumably, that timeline hinges on all regulatory approvals happening at the speed United hopes for: The carrier on Monday said it’s awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration’s green light to install Starlink on more than a dozen aircraft models, including the Boeing 737-900ER, Airbus A321 family aircraft, and twin-aisle Boeing 777.
Fast, free Wi-Fi an industry norm
Complimentary on-board Wi-Fi is quickly becoming the industry norm among U.S. airlines.
Delta Air Lines has outfitted more than 1,000 of its planes with free browsing for its SkyMiles members. Southwest Airlines made its service free for Rapid Rewards members last fall. American Airlines began rolling out free internet for AAdvantage members last month.
Alaska Airlines just started adding Starlink to its jets, which will be free for its Atmos Rewards members.
JetBlue has offered free inflight Wi-Fi for years.
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