United Airlines has installed Starlink on most of its two-cabin regional fleet – more than 300 aircraft – in under a year. The connectivity solution is expected to be onboard more than half of its mainline fleet – an additional 500 aircraft – by the end of 2026.
Over the past 10 months, the airline has flown more than seven million passengers on Starlink-equipped aircraft. That totals more than 129,000 flights and 3.7 million connected devices. Wi-Fi customer satisfaction scores on those aeroplanes nearly doubled during that time.
A new United advert highlights how Starlink redefines the onboard Wi-Fi experience. The 30-second film draws inspiration from space travel, as passengers on a United flight watch live sports, play online games, check in on their home security cameras and more. The voiceover, which has a tone that mimics a conversation between ground control and the cockpit, underscores the transformation: “It’s Wi-Fi that actually works? That’s one giant leap for inflight Wi-Fi.”
The advert will air in markets including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis and Kansas City; all cities where United’s Starlink-equipped regional aircraft fly. More than half of the United flights operating in those cities have Starlink Wi-Fi onboard.
Customer satisfaction scores for United’s in-flight Wi-Fi have nearly doubled on aircraft equipped with Starlink. Passengers comment on benefits such as the gate-to-gate connectivity, reliable service and onboard streaming.
During 2026, United plans to accelerate the Starlink rollout to its mainline feet, adding gate-to-gate connectivity to hundreds more planes.
In collaboration with Starlink, the airline will seek Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for installation and safe, reliable operation of the new system on more than a dozen different aircraft models, including the Boeing 737-900ER, the Airbus 321 family and Boeing 777s.
Maggie Schmerin, Chief Advertising Officer at United, said: “We are focused on what we call ‘travel truths’ in our advertising, so with this spot we wanted to recognise the truly giant leap Starlink Wi-Fi represents for our customers and what is now possible. Starlink is transforming the in-flight experience on United planes with reliable connectivity that enables everything from productivity to streaming the biggest football game of the season.”
Grant Milstead, VP of Digital Technology at United, commented: “United customers are loving the new Wi-Fi experience onboard our Starlink-equipped aircraft. We’re rolling out Starlink at an unprecedented speed and scale, and our milestone for our regional fleet is just the beginning – with more than 500 mainline aircraft expected to be equipped by the end of 2026. This is all part of our commitment to bring this innovative service to our entire fleet.”
