United accelerates Starlink Wi-Fi rollout with first widebody transatlantic flight

United is accelerating the rollout of fast, free Starlink Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members as United flight 14 is set to depart Newark/New York for London this evening aboard a Boeing 777-200, marking the airline's first transatlantic widebody customer flight equipped with Starlink and the first of nearly 60 United widebody aircraft expected to have Starlink this year. United expects to have its entire widebody fleet outfitted by next summer as the airline expands Starlink's high-speed, reliable internet across its fleet. 

As the world's largest airline across both the Atlantic and Pacific, United will leverage Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellites to deliver reliable internet around the world, including when flying over oceans, polar regions and other remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals. More than 400 United planes have Starlink today, and the airline expects to outfit close to 1,000 aircraft before the end of this year. International travelers can expect to see Starlink-enabled 777-200 aircraft on routes between United's hub airports in Newark/New York, Washington D.C, Houston and San Francisco and popular international destinations like London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Tokyo and more.

David Kinzelman, United's Chief Customer Officer commented: "United is changing what it means to stay connected on an overseas flight. Starlink offers the same fast, reliable internet access and connectivity we're all used to at home, delivered in the air at 35,000 feet, flying anywhere around the world. This technology has the potential to transform how we think about the inflight experience for both our customers and our employees."

Expanding Starlink across United's fleet

Since launching Starlink Wi-Fi last spring, the airline has flown more than 18.6 million passengers on Starlink-equipped aircraft across more than 311,000 flights, powering 9.9 million devices – and Wi-Fi customer satisfaction scores on those airplanes nearly doubled during that time.

"Our ability to deploy Starlink Wi-Fi across our fleet at this speed and scale is a testament to the expertise of our team and the strength of our collaboration with Starlink," said Ankit Gupta, United's Chief Air Operations Officer. "Together, we've built a highly efficient installation program that is transforming the onboard experience for our customers. With Starlink expected on close to 1,000 aircraft by year-end, we're moving quickly to bring fast, reliable connectivity to more travelers than ever before."

Unlocking new travel experiences

United has more than 167,000 seatback screens across nearly 900 planes and plans to roughly double that number as it takes delivery of hundreds of new airplanes and retrofits existing aircraft.  

The rollout of Starlink will further enhance that investment, helping power a more connected and personalized onboard experience across both personal devices and seatback entertainment systems. Together, Starlink connectivity and United's next generation seatback technology deliver faster, more seamless access to content and digital experiences customers use every day, with performance that feels closer to being connected at home than traditional inflight Wi-Fi. MileagePlus members on Starlink-enabled planes can experience:

• Gaming at 35,000 feet: Jump back into live games, stream gameplay and stay connected to gaming platforms in real time.
• Seamless shopping and planning: Browse online, schedule grocery deliveries, book restaurant reservations and finalize travel plans – all from your seat.
• Real-time work collaboration: Upload and download files, edit shared documents and update work as a team without interruption.
• Multi-device connectivity: Connect across multiple devices simultaneously, including phone, tablet, laptop and seatback screens without major slowdowns.