United Airlines (UAL+4.48%) provided an update over the weekend suggesting that it will be bringing free satellite-connected internet to its flights more quickly than expected.
The company said Sunday that it is speeding up the rollout of Starlink wi-fi service. “The airline now expects to begin testing Starlink next month with the first commercial flight anticipated to take off this spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft,” the company said in a news release. “United now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end of this year and have its first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of this year.”
United announced in September that it would be partnering with the subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, whose satellites enable Starlink connectivity. At the time, it said that it would begin testing the technology in early 2025 with customer availability coming later in the year.
“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 then in a statement. “This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback — more content, that’s more personalized.”
The dateline on Starlink’s statement about the new timeline reads “Las Vegas, Nevada.” It’s likely not a coincidence that the CES technology convention is happening there this week.
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