United Airlines says Starlink Wi-Fi is now available on nearly half of its daily flights, and the airline is aiming to finish installing the service across its fleet by the end of 2027.
In an announcement on October 15, the airline said Starlink was active on more than 635 mainline and United Express aircraft. That covered more than 2,500 flights a day, or nearly half of its daily departures. United said it is installing the service on about 20 aircraft per week.
The airline said more than 250,000 customers fly on a Starlink-equipped plane on an average day. It also said it has flown more than 37.7 million passengers on Starlink-powered aircraft across more than 538,000 flights.
How to check your flight
United launched a Starlink tracker that lets travelers check whether their upcoming flight has Starlink. Customers can enter their travel dates and flight numbers within three days of departure. The site also shows how many United aircraft and daily departures have the service, and its availability by hub, including Newark.
The tracker’s figures change daily. When we checked on October 27, it showed 661 aircraft installed, 48% of daily flights systemwide with Starlink and 47% of Newark departures. It put fleet completion at 44%.
United says it also tells customers ahead of time when their flight is scheduled to offer Starlink, through pre-flight emails, text notifications and the flight status page in its app. There are onboard announcements and signage as well. Aircraft assignments are typically confirmed within 24 hours of departure and can change, so a flight’s Wi-Fi is not guaranteed in advance.
What it means for travelers
The rollout is still in progress, so whether a flight has Starlink depends on the aircraft assigned to it. United says it has more Starlink-equipped planes than any other airline in the world. Travelers who want the service on an upcoming trip can check the tracker within three days of departure, and again closer to takeoff in case the aircraft changes.
Photo: Mauricio Moreno / Pexels. The photo shows a United aircraft at an airport and does not identify a specific Starlink-equipped plane.
