United Announces Free Wi-Fi for Passengers Starting in 2025

In-flight Wi-Fi is about to get an out-of-this-world upgrade.

United Airlines recently signed a deal with technology company Starlink to bring their flagship Wi-Fi product on-board over 1,000 in the airline’s fleet. The Wi-Fi will be powered through low-orbit satellites from the company, whose founder and CEO is technology entrepreneur Elon Musk. 

The in-flight Wi-Fi will be free, and passengers will be able to connect several devices under one account, such as a phone and a laptop. 

Although the Wi-Fi news is exciting, travelers won’t be able to log-on anytime soon. The airline will be testing the Wi-Fi throughout 2025, and deploy it at the end of next year, and across their fleet in the years thereafter, according to a release. 

“This connectivity opens the door for an even better in-flight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers,” United’s CEO Scott Kirby said in a release shared with Travel + Leisure. 

United says the experience in-flight will be similar speeds and experience as travelers have on the ground, and they will add additional features such as live television, shopping, and games on the seatback monitor. 

The Starlink service was engineered by SpaceX, and connects to thousands of satellites that orbit the world and offer a low-latency internet experience at only 25 milliseconds. 

The availability of fast, free, in-flight Wi-Fi has become a popular feature to lure passengers to various airlines. In August, Delta Air Lines announced the expansion of their fast, free, Wi-Fi to international flights throughout Europe and South America. 

United Airlines has been on the move with technical advancements to help customers save time at the airport, and make their flying experience easier. United’s Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo previously shared with T+L that passengers who use United’s mobile application save nearly 30 minutes at the airport.