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United Airlines fliers can expect in-flight Wi-Fi from Starlink to resume after the company fixed a static interference issue that briefly forced the satellite internet service offline.
In a Thursday earnings call, United Airlines COO Toby Enqvist said the issue had been “pretty much resolved,” according to industry publication The Points Guy.
The interference issue was specific to United’s Embraer E175 aircraft, a smaller passenger jet. Enqvist says the antenna on the Starlink dish was placed too close to another antenna used by pilots to communicate with air traffic controllers, causing interference.
“The two antennas were too close together. So they worked around that,” he said. “We think the issue is behind us.”
The statement also suggests that United might have reinstalled the Starlink dishes further away from the radio antennas. The static interference issue first became public early last month and forced United to shut down the satellite internet service on at least some jets.
Enqvist doesn’t expect the problem to resurface on United's other jets, suggesting their larger size means they have ample room to keep the Starlink dishes away from the radio antennas.
In the same call, Enqvist said United has installed the Starlink access on 60 jets. We tried the service back in May and found the satellite internet was fast, averaging close to 100Mbps in download speeds. The company has been offering in-flight Wi-Fi for free to all MileagePlus customers, the airline's free frequent flier program. But you’ll have to view some ads.
United Airlines has signed a deal to bring Starlink to its entire fleet, but the company hasn't provided a timeline for the rollout.