Elon Musk and Qatar Airways Group CEO discuss Starlink via video call using airline technology amid in-flight Starlink Wi-Fi debut. (Credit: Qatar Airways)
Passengers are flying United Airlines The Internet will soon be navigable courtesy of Elon Musk's Starlink.
On Sunday, the air carrier announced “an accelerated timeline” for what it calls the “world's fastest, most reliable connection in the sky.”
Starlink testing will begin for the airline next month, with the first commercial flight beginning this spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft, according to a press release.
“We have a lot planned for our MileagePlus members this year and adding Starlink as soon as possible – as soon as possible – is at the heart of it,” United MileagePlus CEO Richard Nunn said in a statement. . “Not only is this going to revolutionize the United flying experience, it's going to unlock many new partnerships and benefits for our members that wouldn't be possible otherwise.”
United Airlines planes take off on a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in front of the Midtown Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building in New York City on January 27, 2024 in New York City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Access to Starlink will be free for all customers who are part of the MileagePlus airline loyalty program. It will include “game-changing inflight entertainment experiences such as streaming services, shopping, gaming and more,” United said.
United says its entire two-cabin regional fleet will be equipped with the technology by the end of the year, as well as its “first mainline Starlink-capable plane.”
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The Starlink logo is displayed on a smartphone screen in Athens, Greece on January 12, 2024.
United Airlines Holdings Inc.
United originally announced the signing A deal with Starlink Back in September.
Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has signed deals with several airlines to provide in-flight internet services as it seeks to expand its reach to consumers and families in rural areas around the world without internet access.
Last spring, Carnival Corporation announced that all of its ships had offered Internet service through Starlink.
Starlink is showcasing its high-performance kit at KDDI's pavilion on April 2, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
“Anything you can do on the ground, you'll soon be able to board a United plane at 35,000 feet anywhere in the world.” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a previous statement.
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“This connectivity opens the door to a better inflight entertainment experience, at every seatback – more content, that's more personalized,” added Kirby. “United's culture of innovation is, again, delivering big for our customers.”
Fox Business' Brek Dumas and Reuters contributed to this report.