United has rolled out its first Starlink connected regional aircraft.
It unveiled details of the process to bring connectivity to its entire regional fleet.
The airline expects to outfit 40+ regional aircraft each month beginning in May through the end of 2025.
The average Starlink install time is about eight hours, excluding any de-installation of existing equipment, testing or aircraft modification.
It says this is about 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.
Eventually, 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, and team of experts at United,” said United’s VP of Digital Technology, Grant Milstead.
“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.”
United is taking each plane out of service for just four days to de-install existing equipment, install Starlink, run tests and close-up the aircraft parts opened during the install, versus an average 10+ days for other inflight providers.
Starlink’s light 85-pound equipment requires less fuel to operate and offers a more reliable service, switching between Starlink’s low-earth orbit constellation of satellites to ensure the best coverage.
Customers onboard Starlink-equipped regional aircraft can expect Wi-Fi speeds up to 250 megabits per second (Mbps), which is about 50 times faster than current regional aircraft speeds.
Starlink access will be free for all MileagePlus customers
Customers can sign up at united.com/starlink
