United Airlines to offer free wi-fi with Elon Musk’s Starlink

Saturday, 14 September 2024

United Airlines will soon become the second legacy US carrier offering free in-flight wi-fi to travellers when it introduces Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink.

Beginning sometime next year, the carrier will offer all fliers free in-flight wi-fi on planes equipped with the Starlink service, which uses SpaceX satellites to connect to the internet.

United plans to roll out Starlink wi-fi to its entire fleet, representing of more than 1000 aircraft, over the next several years.

“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in an announcement.

United plans to roll out Starlink wi-fi to its entire fleetes plane.

Once a rare amenity, in-flight wi-fi is now standard on most flights in the United States. Nearly every airline offers some form of connectivity for a fee. Currently, United charges MileagePlus members US$8 and non-members US$10 to log on.

Delta Air Lines was the first legacy airline to offer free in-flight wi-fi on domestic flights to members of its loyalty programme, SkyMiles, in February 2023. The carrier expanded the offering to select international flights this August.

In this photo provided by SpaceX, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying 21 Starlink internet satellites, launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Smaller carriers Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue also offer free in-flight connectivity. Hawaiian and boutique carrier JSX both offer Starlink connectivity on flights in the United States, and Latvian airline AirBaltic uses it in Europe.

Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United also offer all fliers free messaging via their existing in-flight wi-fii services.

And travellers are logging on. According to data from the Airline Passenger Experience Association, nearly 1 in 5 fliers in the United States connect to in-flight wi-fi.

“Airlines offering free wi-fi to everyone on board with no strings attached is still a relative rarity,” said Jason Rabinowitz, head of content creation for travel technology company ATPCO.

Passengers board a United Airlines plane in Sheridan, Wyoming.

“Plenty of airlines now offer free messaging plans, but airline passengers are still hesitant to pay for full internet access.”

Airline executives claim that Starlink is superior to existing in-flight wi-fi offerings.

“The demand for bandwidth in the sky is not slowing, just like on the ground,” said Seth Miller, an airline analyst and editor of the PaxEx.Aero website, who has tried Starlink wifi on a Hawaiian flight.

“Starlink manages to deliver that for airlines with lower latency than the prior generation of satellites, further improving the connected passenger experience.”

That means travellers can stream their favourite programmes or even take a Zoom meeting - at the risk of irritating their seat mates - during a flight.