United Airlines to bring Musk's Starlink on flights by spring

United Airlines to bring Musk's Starlink on flights by spring

United Airlines said on Sunday it expects to begin testing Elon Musk's Starlink in February for in-flight internet services, and to first offer the connectivity on a commercial flight operated by Embraer E-175 aircraft this spring.

The airline plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet with the service by the end of 2025 and have its first Starlink-enabled plane on major routes in the air by the end of the year.

Starlink will eventually be available on all its flights, the airline said in a statement.

However, United said access would be free only for MileagePlus members, revising an earlier plan to offer free Wi-Fi to all passengers.

Last year, United signed a deal with Starlink to provide in-flight internet services across its entire fleet of over 1,000 aircraft over the next several years.

Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has inked deals with multiple airlines to provide in-flight internet services as it seeks to expand its reach beyond consumers and households in rural areas around the world with little to no internet access.

The satellite-based internet services provider has previously signed deals with Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier JSX.