United Airlines will begin operating mainline aircraft equipped with Starlink, SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit satellite communication service, starting October 15.
The inaugural flight will be UA2940 from New York/Newark to Houston, followed by deployment on UA365 to Fort Lauderdale and UA445 to Houston. This marks the first time a major U.S. airline has introduced Starlink-equipped aircraft on trunk routes.
The airline expects to outfit up to 15 Boeing 737-800s per month at first. It also plans to obtain certification to introduce the system on one additional aircraft type by the end of the year. Two antennas will be installed per aircraft, for approximately 2,940 antennas across the fleet.
The service will be offered free of charge to MileagePlus members, with simultaneous connections from multiple devices supported. Passengers on equipped aircraft will receive a notification before departure.
