US airline United Airlines has announced a potentially epochal partnership with satellite internet provider Starlink to offer free and superfast in-flight Wi-Fi on more than 1,000 planes.
The scheme will provide free gate-to-gate access for passengers, United says, which could end years of slow, patchy and often really expensive Wi-Fi when travelling by air.
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The airline says that there’ll be none of the traditional restrictions on what you can do with the service. Users will be able to stream video from their own devices, without buffering or lag. That could be a bonus for fliers who currently subscribe to more expensive streaming tiers to access offline downloads.
The Starlink service will even support streamed gaming sessions, and enable big files to be downloaded and shared, while passengers can also shop til they drop.
As well as personal devices, the connectivity will be available through the seatback screens, which are being upgraded to include Bluetooth and power in every seat.
The airline says testing of the Space X-powered service will begin next year with plans to roll out before the end of 2025. United says the aim is to offer Starlink universally available across its fleet for domestic and international travel.
“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,” said United CEO Scott Kirby in a press release.
“This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.”
Right now it’s only one airline (United is the first to sign such a deal with Starlink), but it does suggest the anxiety over in-flight connectivity might finally be going the way of the dodo.
“We’re excited to team up with United Airlines to transform the inflight experience,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX. “With Starlink onboard your United flight, you’ll have access to the world’s most advanced high-speed internet from gate to gate, and all the miles in between.”
