United ramps up Starlink Wi-Fi installation on fleet

800 planes to get Starlink by end of 2026
Fast, free Wi-Fi an industry norm

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 have 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.

What’s United planning? Big MileagePlus announcement coming, executives hint

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

I tried out the service on a media flight last spring and can attest: It’s very fast.

Stay tuned: United’s most premium plane is just weeks away

Trying out United Airlines’ Starlink Wi-Fi service in May 2025. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

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 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 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 is hoping for: The carrier on Monday said it’s awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration’s green light to instal Starlink on more than a dozen aircraft models, including the Boeing 737-900ER, Airbus A321 family aircraft, and twin-aisle Boeing 777.