If your work travel frequently involves short regional hops, get ready for Wi-Fi service that's better than what folks soaring in larger planes are using. After announcing a deal with SpaceX late last year, United Airlines has begun installing Starlink satellite Wi-Fi hardware in its fleet of aircraft.

Back in January, right ahead of the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show, United Airlines announced that it was speeding up its rollout and installation of Starlink across its fleet. It was good news as Grant Milstead, VP of Digital Technology for the airline, told us that it was “kind of enabling the living room in the sky experience.”

United just installed Starlink on its first regional aircraft, beginning the process of outfitting its entire two-cabin fleet in 2025. The post This airline just installed Starlink on its first aircraft appeared first on The Manual.

United Airlines will install Starlink on 40+ regional aircraft each month from May 2021. Wi-Fi speeds up to 250 Mbps expected. Stock can be accessed through JETS and FTXR.

United announced its intention to upgrade its entire fleet with Wi-Fi powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. As of today, the first Starlink-equipped regional plane is ready to fly. United said it only took about 8 hours to install the equipment,

It does seem like a logical next step to equip more aircraft within the Alaska Air Group with Starlink connectivity, given that Hawaiian Airlines was the first to offer this product onboard its planes. In February 2024, it became the first major airline to offer complimentary in-flight WiFi provided by SpaceX's Starlink Internet service.

United has rolled out its first Starlink connected regional aircraft. It unveiled details of the process to bring connectivity to its entire regional fleet. The airline expects to outfit 40+ regional aircraft each month beginning in May through the end of 2025.

United today announced it installed Starlink on its first regional aircraft and unveiled details of the process to underscore the technical operations benefits associated with the equipment, including size and weight as well as the ease of install and maintenance.