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LOS ANGELES—With installations on its two-cabin regional jets complete, United Airlines is now outfitting the mainline fleet with SpaceX Starlink, expecting to have roughly half those airframes done by the end of 2026.
Thus far, 17 of its Boeing 737NGs have the free, high-speed satellite Wi-Fi, after 325 of its regional jets were equipped with the service. United expects installations to begin on its Airbus A321neos next, followed by 737 MAX aircraft and widebody types. United operates 84 787s, 88 777s and 53 767s, according to Aviation Week’s Fleet Discovery database.
As far as which widebody will be first in line for Starlink, “it’s kind of a race right now,” explains United’s Vice President for Digital Technology Grant Milstead. “It’s either going to be a 787-8, or a 777-200. We’re basically working on certifications of all of our aircraft at the same time, so it’s a process of how quickly the engineering can get done.”
But the two types are “both on track for May,” he says, calling it “literally a matter of days of which one gets it first.”
United expects its full mainline fleet to have the service installed by the end of 2027.
Engineered and operated by SpaceX, Starlink is delivered through a network of satellites in low orbit. United announced an agreement with the provider in September 2024 and today more than 25% of its daily departures, about 1,200 flights, have Starlink. United will seek FAA approval for installation of the system on more than a dozen aircraft models in all.
“Our customers in the last six months have completely exceeded our expectations,” Milstead says of its uptake. “We’ve had customers put a live offer in on their first home; we’ve had customers vibe code to start the website of their first business ... We’ve had some incredible experiences.”
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