Sep 17, 2024 23:00:00

United Airlines to start testing Starlink internet in early 2025, free Wi-Fi may be available as soon as late 2025

United Airlines has announced that it will introduce Starlink internet service on all of its aircraft. Testing will begin in early 2025, and the first passenger flights officially offering Starlink internet service are scheduled to launch in the second half of 2025.

The world's most advanced high-speed Wi-Fi is coming to United with

@Starlink . For free.

You'll be able to stream, game, shop and more on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously. Expect the same internet you get on the ground… at 35,000 feet. We expect to have… pic.twitter.com/M6ZihBBEnb

— United Airlines (@united) September 13, 2024

United Airlines Taps Elon Musk's Starlink for In-Flight Wi-Fi - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/united-airlines-musk-starlink-flight-wifi-0f323fcc?st=wGf6Gt&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

United Airlines to offer free Wi-Fi using Starlink from Elon Musk's SpaceX
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/13/united-airlines-spacex-starlink-internet.html

United Airlines announced that it plans to equip all of its more than 1,000 aircraft with Starlink over the next few years, and that it will make satellite-based internet communications available to all customers free of charge.

Starlink has already signed contracts with airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways, but United Airlines will be its largest customer to date. United Airlines Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo declined to comment on specific communication speeds, but said, 'We guarantee the service.'

According to Jojo, unlike current lines that are often congested when many passengers connect, Starlink will be able to handle even high demand. 'We will be able to have multiple devices per passenger, and it will work in innovative ways, just like being in your living room,' Jojo said.

In 2021, SpaceX, the company that develops Starlink, filed

an application with regulatory authorities to allow Starlink to be used on trucks, ships, and aircraft, and announced that it will launch ' Starlink Aviation ' in 2022, which will enable communication speeds of up to 350Mbps on aircraft. Starlink Aviation is installed on Hawaiian Airlines, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explained that 'in-flight communication will feel the same as connecting to the Internet at home.'

'Starlink Aviation' to enable satellite internet access on aircraft to begin in 2023, with speeds of up to 350Mbps, 'the same experience as accessing the internet at home,' says Elon Musk - GIGAZINE

To deploy Starlink on more than 1,000 aircraft, there are challenges, such as obtaining approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for each device. SpaceX CEO Gwynne Shotwell said, 'United Airlines passengers will have access to the world's most advanced high-speed internet on every flight.'