United Airlines signs with Starlink for IFC service. Photo: United

United Airlines tapped Starlink as its in-flight connectivity (IFC) provider, announcing a deal on Friday to equip the airline’s entire fleet with Starlink and offer the service to passengers for free. 

United said this deal covers all aircraft, both mainline and regional, which is more than 1,000 planes. Installation will take place over the next several years. Testing begins in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later that year.

United currently has four Wi-Fi providers, and works with Gogo (now part of Intelsat), Panasonic, Thales, and Viasat on different planes and routes. 

“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.”

This is the largest airline to go with Starlink’s service. Starlink has also signed deals with Qatar Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Latvian airline airBaltic, Japan’s Zipair, and charter operator JSX. 

United Passengers can use Starlink connectivity on their personal devices and seatback screens. United said that it has nearly 100,000 seatback screens and plans to grow these numbers with new airplanes and retrofits. The Starlink service via the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation will support applications like live streaming, working in cloud applications, gaming, and support with the United app. 

“We’re excited to team up with United Airlines to transform the inflight experience,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX. “With Starlink onboard your United flight, you’ll have access to the world’s most advanced high-speed internet from gate to gate, and all the miles in between.”

United follows Delta in making IFC service free for customers. Delta is working with Viasat and Hughes Network Systems for satellite connectivity. 

[Read more from Via Satellite: Alaska Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, and Aeromexico share their connectivity strategies for passenger experience]