United Airlines Will Offer Free SpaceX’s Starlink In-flight Wi-Fi on Its Planes

United Airlines will use SpaceX’s Starlink to provide free in-flight Wi-Fi to all its jets in 2025. “In more than 1000 planes, travelers can enjoy the high-speed internet, and it’s an impressive offer that boosts the SpaceX business,” according to CNBC news.

CEO Scot Kirby’s Friday announcement states,” United enables passengers to do all the onboard activities as they can do with the internet on the ground. Customers can access gaming, movie streaming, and shopping during their flights. This agreement includes more than 1,000 aircraft, where United customers will enjoy the wifi facilities they want on the ground.

The airline is investing in this so it can attract more customers who can pay for business class and enhance their traveling experience. Many airlines offer Wi-Fi facilities on their flights, and prices vary according to standards. Now, United takes $8 for MileagePlus users to access the internet and $10 for nonusers.

Delta, one of the largest airlines in the U.S., announced last year that it would provide free internet service to its SkyMiles loyalty program members. Elon Musk SpaceX’s Starlink company has already partnered with many small airlines, including Hawaiian and ‘hop-on jet service’ JSX airlines, to provide internet connectivity.

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SpaceX launched Starlink Aviation in October 2022, which helped provide satellite internet to airlines. This satellite network has become the source of high-speed wifi connectivity across worldwide airlines using 6,300 satellites.

Currently, United uses four different wifi providers, including Intelsat, Panasonic, and Viasat. United mainly uses Viasat wifi, which has a high speed and is used on most American and Delta flights.

This upgrade will be fantastic for the passengers, as Starlink is trying hard to introduce high-speed Wi-Fi service to improve their experience. Starlink has high-speed internet, as it can pass 100ms with a speed over 100mbps, which enables flight customers to do activities without interruption. These activities could be watching Netflix, conference calls, gaming, or watching movies through various streaming platforms like Soap2day.

According to the Airline Passenger Association data, 20% of the passengers log on to flight wifi in the United States. According to Jason Rabinowitz,” Most airlines do not provide their customers with free Wi-Fi, but they can offer free messaging, but airline passengers are not satisfied with paying for accessing full internet .” However, United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby claims,” Starlink is best for the present in-flight Wi-Fi services.