United Airlines has equipped its first Embraer E-175 regional jet with superfast Starlink internet and plans to have more than 320 airplanes retrofitted with the new inflight Wi-Fi service by the end of the year.
The Chicago-based carrier is able to install Elon Musk’s Starlink internet system on so many planes without impacting its packed schedule is down to the fact that the core installation can be completed in as little as eight hours – around 10x faster than the installation time of rival Wi-Fi systems.
The whole retrofit process, however, takes up to four days, which is taken up with de-installing existing internet hardware, running tests, and closing up the aircraft. Even so, the full installation process still takes less than half the time of rival products which can stretch on for ten or more days.
United first announced a landmark deal with Starlink in September 2024 with plans to install the broadband-quality Wi-Fi service across its entire mainline and regional fleet.
Earlier this year, United unveiled an accelerated installation timeline which will see the airline focus on installing Starlink across its regional fleet before moving onto mainline aircraft.
Our ability to roll out this innovative service with unprecedented speed and scale is a direct result of the advanced equipment, technology, and team of experts at United,” commented United’s VP of Digital Technology, Grant Milstead.
“Starlink has been a terrific partner – our combined spirit of innovation and collaboration will enable us to hit our goal of more than 300 regional aircraft installations before the end of this year,” Milstead continued.
Starlink has also proven to have a remarkably fast install time on widebody aircraft, with Qatar Airways recently announcing that it had managed to install Starlink on more than half of its Boeing 777 fleet in just four months.
Along with dramatically cutting airliner downtime, Starlink retrofits will also improve fuel burn as the hardware weighs as little as 85 pounds. In comparison, United says existing internet hardware that it is replacing can weigh as much as 300 pounds.
Starlink can provide broadband-quality low-latency inflight Wi-Fi because of its ‘constellation’ of more than 6,750 satellites in low Earth orbit, which provide near global coverage.
Along with United Airlines and Qatar Airways, Starlink has won business from the likes of Air France, Air Baltic, and Zip Airways. As part of its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, the Alaska Airlines Group is also rumored to be eyeing Starlink for its Boeing 737 fleet.
Airlines that have signed up to Starlink have promised to offer fast inflight Wi-Fi for free for all passengers.
Later this year, Starlink is expected to face competition from Amazon, which is set to launch its own low Earth orbit satellites as part of the company’s ambitious Project Kuiper program.
