United Airlines has signed a significant agreement with SpaceX to provide free high-speed, low-latency Starlink Wi-Fi service on its mainline and regional aircraft, enhancing inflight connectivity for its passengers.
The service will enable gate-to-gate access to live TV, streaming, social media, e-commerce, and gaming on both seatback screens and personal devices, with expectations to roll out across over 1,000 aircraft by late 2025.
United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, highlighted the transformative potential of this connectivity, offering a superior inflight entertainment experience with more personalized content and services available at 35,000 feet.
The new Wi-Fi service will also assist United’s frontline employees, giving them enhanced operational capabilities in the air, and is part of United’s broader commitment to innovation, offering various customer-focused features like free family seating and real-time text updates.
- Agent on Demand: United’s virtual, on-demand customer service tool is patented and lets customers video chat, text or call a customer service representative instead of waiting in line at the airport.
- Automatic rebooking assistance: Instead of waiting in line to talk to an agent or search for new options, United’s self-service tools automatically present travellers personalized re-booking options, bag tracking information and meal and hotel vouchers when eligible if their flight is delayed or cancelled.
- ConnectionSaver: United is the only airline that uses proprietary technology to determine the best time to hold a flight a few extra minutes so more people can make their connection.
- Free family seating: United is the first and only airline to offer a digital, dynamic seat map that allows children under 12 to be seated next to an adult in their party for free at time of booking. Since launching the feature last year, United has helped hundreds of thousands of families book seats together for free.
- Miles pooling: United became the first major U.S. airline to allow members of its loyalty program, MileagePlus, to pool their miles with family and friends into a joint account.
- Real-time text updates: Using AI tools, United sends travellers text messages that provide personalized trip updates on everything from gate changes and boarding times to more specifics like aircraft swaps and weather events, now even including live radar maps.
- Stuck in a middle seat?: United is the only airline where customers can log their seat preference in the app and move to a better seat – for free – if it opens up before departure.
- Wheelchair booking tool: United launched a new digital sizing tool that helps customers determine the right aircraft for their wheelchair.
