United Airlines has received approval from the FAA to launch the first passenger aircraft with built-in Starlink and plans to make the first flight with super-fast Internet in May.
The American airline United Airlines officially announced the completion of FAA certification for the Embraer 175 aircraft equipped with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet. The first commercial flight with such Wi-Fi is scheduled for May.
In a statement on the X platform (Twitter), the company noted: “The FAA has approved our first aircraft equipped with the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky. This green light means we plan to install Starlink on more than 40 aircraft every month.” By the end of the year, the company expects to equip about 300 more regional aircraft with Starlink systems.
This technology will be free for MileagePlus members. Passengers will be able to watch videos, work, play or shop in the air as comfortably as at home. In 2024, United Airlines signed a deal with Starlink to connect its entire fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft to the Internet. Starlink has previously worked with Hawaiian Airlines, JSX and Canada’s WestJet, which is currently implementing Wi-Fi service on its narrow- and wide-body aircraft. Despite the general enthusiasm, Starlink has received critical comments due to Elon Musk’s role in the political process in the United States.
The introduction of Starlink to commercial aviation is a new level of comfort for passengers that could radically change the standards of connectivity in flights. United Airlines is betting on innovations that bring the travel experience closer to the comforts of home or the office.
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