United Speeds Up Starlink Wi-Fi Rollout

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2025 – United Airlines has begun installing Starlink satellite internet on its aircraft, equipping its first regional jet and planning to add more than 40 planes per month starting in May, the airline said in a press release on Friday.

“We’re rolling out this innovative service at unprecedented speed and scale,” said Grant Milstead, United’s vice president of digital technology. “Starlink has been a terrific partner, and we expect to complete more than 300 installations by the end of the year.”

The company said the service will be free for MileagePlus members—which is also free to join—and will allow streaming, gaming, and browsing without data limits.

Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has about 1.4 million subscribers in the U.S. and is used to connect hard-to-access rural communities. United’s partnership will give passengers a rare chance to experience high-speed satellite internet firsthand.

According to United, passengers can expect speeds up to 250 Mbps, which the airline claims is 50 times faster than current regional aircraft Wi-Fi.

Rob Pegoraro of PCMag tested on-board Starlink on a recent 12-hour flight on Qatar Airways flight and found speeds comparable to basic home broadband.

“Eleven runs of Speedtest yielded an average download speed of 108.14 Mbps, with uploads averaging 29.57 Mbps. Even at its slowest, Starlink’s speeds comfortably exceeded most in-flight Wi-Fi services that I’ve tried,” Pegoraro wrote in a March 1 article.