United Airlines is accelerating[1] its plan to add Starlink-enabled
  Wi-Fi to its planes, with the first commercial flights now expected to
  arrive this spring.

  Last year, United announced its intention to upgrade its in-flight
  Wi-Fi using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, with testing expected to
  start in the spring and the first equipped flights coming later in the
  year. Now the airline says it will start testing “next month,” followed
  by the first commercial flight on an Embraer E-175 aircraft — a
  narrow-body aircraft for regional flights that can fit up to 88
  passengers — in the spring.

  On top of that, United now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin
  regional fleet by the end of 2025 and have its first mainline
  Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of this year.
  Ultimately, the airline expects to have its entire fleet of nearly
  1,000 planes outfitted with Starlink Wi-Fi.

  Image: United Airlines

  United currently has four different Wi-Fi providers,[2] according to
  travel site One Mile At A Time, with regional jets utilizing Intelsat
  (formerly Gogo) and most wide-body jets using Panasonic Wi-Fi. United
  also uses Viasat Wi-Fi on most of its 737 Max aircraft, some A319s, and
  A321neos. Viasat is the best of the bunch in terms of speeds and is
  commonly found on American and Delta flights.

  But while a number of international carriers have announced similar
  plans to add Starlink to their fleets, United is still alone among the
  major domestic carriers to adopt the SpaceX-owned technology. (JSX and
  Hawaiian have both said they plan on adding Starlink to their
  airplanes.)

  United now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the
  end of 2025

  And while in-flight Wi-Fi remains slow and unreliable for most air
  travelers, we seem to quickly be approaching a tipping point on
  expectations for fast, free connectivity. Mobile device owners are
  growing accustomed to uninterrupted video streaming and other
  conveniences wherever they are — even while thousands of feet in the
  air.

  [3]Starlink boasts download speeds of 40–220Mbps and upload speeds of
  8–25Mbps per terminal, which United says can support streaming, gaming,
  and even videoconferencing. United says its Starlink-enabled Wi-Fi will
  be free to its MileagePlus loyalty customers (for which signups are
  also free).

  “We have a lot planned for our MileagePlus members this year and adding
  Starlink to as many planes as we can – as quickly as we can – is at the
  center of it all,” said Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus, in a
  statement. “It’s not only going to revolutionize the experience of
  flying United, but it’s also going to unlock tons of new partnerships
  and benefits for our members that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”

References

  1. https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/13/24243594/united-airlines-free-starlink-wi-fi-connectivity
  2. https://onemileatatime.com/news/united-airlines-starlink-wi-fi/
  3. https://www.starlink.com/business/aviation