For those who want to be connected whilst in the sky, United Airlines is accelerating its Starlink rollout, with its first widebody aircraft fitted and flying transatlantic flights.
A Boeing 777-200 was the first to be converted, which flew between Newark International Airport and London Heathrow, operating as UA14 on its maiden sortie.
It marks the airline’s first transatlantic widebody customer flight equipped with Starlink and the first of nearly 60 United widebody aircraft expected to have Starlink this year.
More than 400 United planes have Starlink today, and the airline expects to outfit close to 1,000 aircraft before the end of this year. In terms of its widebody fleet, United expects to have its entire widebody fleet outfitted by next summer as the airline expands Starlink’s internet connectivity across its fleet.
Since launching Starlink Wi-Fi last spring, the airline has flown more than 18.6 million passengers on Starlink-equipped aircraft across more than 311,000 flights, powering 9.9 million devices.
Starlink Wi-Fi is free for United MileagePlus members, and passengers will receive a notification before their flight if it’s equipped with Starlink.
In Quotes
David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer, said:
“United is changing what it means to stay connected on an overseas flight,”
“Starlink offers the same fast, reliable internet access and connectivity we’re all used to at home, delivered in the air at 35,000 feet, flying anywhere around the world. This technology has the potential to transform how we think about the inflight experience for both our customers and our employees.”
Ankit Gupta, United’s Chief Air Operations Officer, added:
“Our ability to deploy Starlink Wi-Fi across our fleet at this speed and scale is a testament to the expertise of our team and the strength of our collaboration with Starlink,” said
“Together, we’ve built a highly efficient installation program that is transforming the onboard experience for our customers. With Starlink expected on close to 1,000 aircraft by year-end, we’re moving quickly to bring fast, reliable connectivity to more travelers than ever before.”
Per Economy Class and Beyond coverage, posts about Starlink are not open for comment, with no commentary provided.
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