United Airlines – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – has installed Starlink on its first regional aircraft. It has also unveiled details of the process to underscore the technical operations benefits associated with the equipment, including size and weight, as well as the ease of install and maintenance.
The airline expects to outfit 40+ regional aircraft each month beginning in May through the end of 2025 – average Starlink install time is about 8 hours, excluding any de-installation of existing equipment, testing or aircraft modification, approximately 10 times faster than installing non-Starlink equipment.
Earlier this year, the airline said it plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end of the year. Ultimately, United will add Starlink to its entire fleet.
“Our ability to roll-out this innovative service with unprecedented speed and scale is a direct result of the advanced equipment, technology and team of experts at United,” said Grant Milstead, VP of Digital Technology, United Airlines. “Starlink has been a terrific partner – our combined spirit of innovation and collaboration will enable us to hit our goal of more than 300 regional aircraft installations before the end of this year.”
Starlink stands to not only unlock an incredible onboard experience for United customers – the fastest WiFi in the sky, for free, and new onboard entertainment options – but also enables a more streamlined install, maintenance and overall operation.
United has also confirmed that customers onboard Starlink-equipped regional aircraft can expect WiFi speeds up to 250 megabits per second (Mbps), which is 50 times faster than current regional aircraft speeds.
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