At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), United Airlines announced an accelerated timeline to bring Starlink in-flight WiFi to its passengers worldwide – including flights from South Africa. United now expects to begin testing Starlink next month, with the first commercial flight anticipated to take off in Q2 on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft.
The airline plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end of this year and have its first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of the year.
Ultimately, United will add Starlink to its entire fleet.
Access to Starlink will be free for all MileagePlus customers and includes in-flight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, and gaming.
“We have a lot planned for our MileagePlus members this year, and adding Starlink to as many planes as we can – as quickly as we can – is at the centre of it all,” said Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus.
“It’s not only going to revolutionize the experience of flying United, but it’s also going to unlock tons of new partnerships and benefits for our members that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”
Sky WiFi
Last September, United signed the industry’s largest agreement of its kind with SpaceX to bring Starlink to its entire fleet.
Starting in a few months, the airline’s customers will enjoy the same high-speed, low-latency internet service in the air that they enjoy on the ground.
This gate-to-gate connectivity will enable experiences in the sky at scale that no other major US airline provides, on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously.
MileagePlus was recently rated the world’s best airline loyalty programme and United also became the first major US airline to allow members of its loyalty programme to pool their miles with family and friends into a joint account.
