(Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
United Airlines has installed Starlink on its first regional aircraft.
The airline expects to outfit over 40 regional aircraft each month beginning in May through to the end of 2025, covering its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end of the year. Some smaller US airlines, like Hawaiian Airlines, have already added SpaceX's satellite internet.
United says customers using the newly equipped regional aircraft can expect Wi-Fi speeds up to 250Mbps, which is 50 times faster than current regional aircraft speeds. PCMag got the chance to test out Starlink on a packed Qatar Airways 777 recently and logged an average download speed of 108.14Mbps, with uploads averaging 29.57Mbps.
Starlink access will be free for all customers, but you'll need to sign up for United’s frequent flyer loyalty service, MileagePlus, if you want to use it.
The entire Starlink installation kit weighs just 85 pounds, according to United, compared to its other inflight provider kits that can weigh up to 300 pounds, with no moving parts.
Starlink is experiencing backlash from some consumers over allegations it could withdraw support for Ukraine (which have been vehemently denied), but it's not lacking in new customers in the short term. Multiple areas in the US are now "sold out," as spotted by a user on Twitter/X, including parts of Florida, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and northern Georgia–indicating Starlink is struggling to provide enough network capacity in some areas of the US.
Numerous other airlines have announced plans to introduce Starlink into their fleets in 2025, including Air France, Air New Zealand, and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).