Elon Musk and Qatar Airways Group CEO discussed Starlink in a video call using the technology as the airline launched Starlink Wi-Fi on a flight. (Credit: Qatar Airways)
Passengers flying United Airlines will soon be browsing the Internet thanks to Elon Musk’s Starlink.
On Sunday, the airline announced “an accelerated schedule” for what it calls “the world’s fastest and most reliable air connectivity.”
Starlink testing will begin for the airline next month, with the service’s first commercial flight taking off 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 to as many aircraft as possible – as quickly as possible – is at the center of it all,” said Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus, in a press release. . “This will not only revolutionize the experience of flying with United, but it will also unlock tons of new partnerships and benefits for our members that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”
United Airlines planes head toward a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport, in front of the Midtown Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building in New York, January 27, 2024, in Newark, 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 “groundbreaking in-flight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, gaming and more,” United said.
United says its entire regional two-cabin fleet will be equipped with the technology by the end of the year, along with its “first Starlink-enabled primary aircraft.”
The Starlink logo is displayed on the screen of a smartphone in Athens, Greece, January 12, 2024.
United Airlines Holdings Inc.
United initially announced his signing an agreement with Starlink back in September.
Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has signed deals with several airlines to provide onboard internet services, as it seeks to expand its reach beyond consumers and households in rural areas around the world with little or no Internet access.
Last spring, Carnival Corporation announced that all of its ships offered Internet service via Starlink.
Starlink displays its high-performance kit at the KDDI Pavilion in Barcelona, Spain on April 2, 2024.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you will soon be able to do on a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” Scott Kirby, CEO of United said in a previous statement.
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“This connectivity opens the door to an even better in-flight entertainment experience, in every seatback: more content, more personalized,” added Kirby. “United’s culture of innovation is once again delivering great results for our customers. »
FOX Business’ Breck Dumas and Reuters contributed to this report.
