Leading US airline will offer free WiFi on every flight – and it’ll be faster than ever

Globe-spanning commercial air traveler United Airlines has scored a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on all their flights.  

The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers in the next several years.

The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. 

United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground, industry experts said, when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing multi-player online video games.

United Airlines announced that it had reached a deal with Starlink and will soon be providing free internet for passengers on all of its flights. Above, a Starlink system perched on grass

Elon Musk talks to other spectators while watching play between Jannik Sinner, of Italy, and Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

‘Everything you can do on the ground, you´ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,’ United’s CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.

According to the Wall Street Journal, United’s deal is part of a larger initiative to improve its high-end offerings to first class and business class travelers. 

The firm hopes that Starlink’s technology can ‘propel it above rival carriers in offering fast, free Wi-Fi,’ according to the Journal.

The multinational airline company has been retrofitting its planes with more power outlets and seat back screens, in its bid to entice consumers who wish to stay connected more to the internet via their electronic devices in-flight.

United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. 

Rival airline Delta too had previously tested Starlink for a similar deal, but no contract or agreement has materialized, according to press reports.