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Update 5/8/2025: United plans to launch Starlink on select regional flights on May 15, 2025.
United Airlines is about to take inflight Wi-Fi to the next level. Starting in May 2025, the first United flights will go live with free high-speed Wi-Fi powered by Starlink, offering passengers faster, more reliable internet from gate to gate.
While many U.S. airlines charge for basic connectivity — or offer limited speeds and coverage — United’s partnership with Starlink means passengers can look forward to speeds fast enough to work, stream, or stay in touch without interruption. Even better, United has shared an aggressive rollout timeline that could see most of its two-cabin regional fleet outfitted by the end of 2025.
Here are the new details of this partnership's timeline and rollout schedule.
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United Partners With Starlink to Offer Free Inflight Wi-Fi
United originally announced its new partnership with Starlink on September 13, 2024. A division of SpaceX, Starlink launched in 2019 and now has over 7,000 satellites providing internet to reportedly over 100 million customers worldwide. With this new United partnership, the total number of aircraft served by Starlink Aviation will increase to over 2,500.
Starlink Wi-Fi claims to offer 40-200 Mbps download speeds and 8-25 Mbps upload speeds on flights. The service also has a very low latency (time between source and destination) of less than 0.1 seconds. In other words, it's fast and strong Wi-Fi.
Timeline to Integrate the United Fleet with Starlink Wi-Fi
After some initially ambiguous details, United announced a timeline at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas. United then began testing Starlink Wi-Fi on regional United Express Embraer E-175 aircraft in February 2025.
On March 31, United posted an update on Twitter saying that the FAA had approved the first aircraft fitted with Starlink Wi-Fi. With this green light, the airline plans to outfit 40+ planes a month. In May, the first United passengers will have access to high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi.
The FAA has approved our first aircraft equipped with the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky. That green light means we expect to install Starlink on 40+ planes a month, with our entire regional fleet being outfitted by the end of year.
The first passenger flight that'll let customers… pic.twitter.com/di9LRyFdG3
— United Airlines (@united) March 31, 2025
By the end of 2025, United plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet and have its first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air. Presumably, this means that by the end of the year, all regional flights except CRJs and Embraer 145s, which are both one-cabin aircraft, will have Starlink Wi-Fi. The regional fleet only has about 200 aircraft, which would be fitted in five months at the rate of 40+ each month.
Eventually, United plans to install Starlink across its entire fleet. As of yet, no exact dates have been given for this target.
Existing United Wi-Fi Availability and Pricing
Until Starlink goes live across the United fleet, passengers can purchase Wi-Fi on most United flights. Availability depends on the route, aircraft, and service provider. Several flights outside the U.S. don't have coverage, so Starlink will be a major upgrade.
For flights with Wi-Fi, passengers can purchase a day pass or a subscription using cash or points. United MileagePlus members can purchase a day pass for $8 or 800 miles on most flights. You can also purchase a monthly Wi-Fi subscription for $49 or 7,500 miles.
If you're not a MileagePlus member, your only option is to purchase a flight pass. This costs $10 for domestic and short-haul international flights — and an undisclosed amount on long-haul flights.
Day vouchers are valid for 24 hours, starting one hour before departure. If a flight is canceled, the aircraft is changed to one without Wi-Fi, or you have less than 50% connectivity on your flight, United will issue you a refund. The monthly subscription is non-refundable. Among other restrictions, the day pass and monthly subscription do not include streaming services.
Can you get free Wi-Fi on United flights?
While we wait for Starlink to go live, some United flyers can already get free Wi-Fi on United flights. T-Mobile customers can get free and unlimited Wi-Fi, texting, and even streaming on both domestic and international United flights. Plus, all United passengers get free messaging through apps, including iMessage, WhatsApp, and Google Messages.
Otherwise, you'll currently need to pay for United Wi-Fi. Even top-tier MileagePlus Premier 1K elite members must pay for a day pass or a monthly subscription.
While it's not free, you can at least get a 25% discount with any of its Chase-issued United MileagePlus credit cards. Yes, that even includes the no-annual-fee The New United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees).
- Limited-Time Offer: Earn 30,000 bonus miles
- 0% intro APR for the first 12 months from account opening on purchases & no annual fee.
- 2x miles on United® purchases
- 2x miles at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1x mile on all other purchases
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
- Earn 2 checked bags after you spend $10,000 in a calendar year
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases
- 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
- 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
Our Take
United’s move to offer free, fast Starlink Wi-Fi is a major win for flyers — especially on regional routes where coverage has historically been hit or miss. With installation already approved and the first aircraft going live in May, United is setting the bar high for inflight connectivity. We'll keep this post updated as the rollout expands to more aircraft throughout 2025 and beyond.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The New United Gateway℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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