Quicker, more reliable — and free — Wi-Fi is almost here on United Airlines. The Chicago-based ship announced Monday that it has received its initial Federal Aviation Administration accreditation for installing Starlink’s dish Wi-Fi on board the Embraer E175 local flight. This documentation, called a Supplemental Type Certificate, is required for each aviation form receiving Starlink products. Inside ladle: United’s tech chief reveals the fate of ‘ Expert Mode,’ completely Wi-Fi and moreUnited will need at least 16 STCs to deliver Starlink Wi-Fi to almost every aircraft in its local and major fleets. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUYUnited will need to perform the requisite design, installation and testing procedures for any planes that will receive this FAA certification. An STC is issued after the FAA certifies the first Starlink-equipped planes of a given fleet type. Once the certification is in hand, United can then install Starlink across the rest of the fleet. With its first STC secured, United has reiterated that it now plans to install Starlink on approximately 40 regional jets each month, with the entire two-cabin regional fleet getting the upgrade by the end of 2025. United’s update comes just a few weeks after the airline completed its first Starlink installation on an Embraer E175, registered N127SY, at a maintenance hangar in Nashville. As the installation wrapped up, I got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to actually enable this faster Wi-Fi and heard from the airline’s tech executives who are in charge of the project. Landing gear in the kitchen? Touring United’s renovated Chicago headquarters in the Willis TowerNow that the first Starlink-equipped plane is flying, United says that it will run a beta test of the new technology on select flights between now and the first customer flight, which will officially happen in May — in line with the airline’s promise that it would happen this spring. First announced in September, United said it would roll out fleetwide Starlink Wi-Fi across more than 1, 000 jets, bringing best-in-class connectivity to nearly its entire fleet. ( The only planes not getting Starlink are single-cabin regional jets. ) While the speed and reliability upgrades will most certainly be appreciated — Starlink delivers a living-room-like streaming experience— perhaps the best news is that connectivity will be entirely free. All that will be required is signing in to your MileagePlus account. ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUYThe airline will debut a new landing and entertainment page for Starlink-enabled aircraft. This upgraded experience will offer access to streaming services, shopping, gaming and more. For years, United has offered a subpar inflight connectivity experience. It has partnered with four different Wi-Fi providers, each offering varying speeds and reliability. This mishmash of providers has left some loyal flyers wondering if the Wi-Fi service will work on their flight or if they can stream their favorite shows or browse data-heavy social media apps. The good news is that the first provider that United has chosen to replace with Starlink is the most outdated: Wi-Fi Onboard ( formerly known as Gogo ), which offers excruciatingly slow air-to-ground connectivity across the regional fleet. Starlink, an arm of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, provides satellite internet access in more than 100 countries worldwide. While the company’s customers range from individual homeowners to the U. S. military, perhaps the most exciting development for travelers is Starlink’s deployment on commercial airplanes. The satellite internet provider offers download speeds of up to 250Mbps per second — fast enough to support gaming, VPN access, streaming and much more. ( Inflight calling still won’t be allowed, per FAA rules. ) Once the rollout is complete, United will go from offering a subpar connectivity experience to providing one of the best in the sky. In addition to United, Starlink is either installed or being installed on some major carriers worldwide. They include JSX, Hawaiian Airlines, airBaltic, Zipair, Qatar Airways, Air France, Air New Zealand, Scandinavian Airlines and WestJet. AircraftCurrent providerStarlink timelineBoeing 787-8 DreamlinerPanasonicUnknownBoeing 787-9 DreamlinerPanasonicUnknownBoeing 787-10 DreamlinerPanasonicUnknownBoeing 777-200Panasonic UnknownBoeing 777-300Panasonic UnknownBoeing 767-300Panasonic UnknownBoeing 767-400Panasonic UnknownBoeing 757-200Panasonic UnknownBoeing 757-300Panasonic, Thales and ViasatUnknownBoeing 737-700Thales and ViasatUnknownBoeing 737-800Thales and ViasatUnknownBoeing 737 MAX 8ViasatUnknownBoeing 737-900Thales and ViasatUnknownBoeing 737 MAX 9ViasatUnknownAirbus A319Panasonic and ViasatUnknownAirbus A320PanasonicUnknownAirbus A321neoViasatUnknownBombardier CRJ-200NoneNot receivingBombardier CRJ-550Wi-Fi Onboard ( Gogo ) By the end of 2025Bombardier CRJ-700Wi-Fi Onboard ( Gogo ) By the end of 2025Bombardier CRJ-900Wi-Fi Onboard ( Gogo ) By the end of 2025Embraer E170Wi-Fi Onboard ( Gogo ) By the end of 2025Embraer E175Wi-Fi Onboard ( Gogo ) By the end of 2025Embraer E145NoneNot receivingRelated reading:
