The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified United’s Boeing 737-800 narrowbody aircraft equipped with Starlink. The first commercial flight with Starlink Wi-Fi onboard is scheduled for October 15, 2025.
According to the carrier, the inaugural flight on its Boeing 737-800 narrowbody aircraft equipped with Starlink will depart from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The announcement comes five months after the airline’s first Embraer E175 regional jet took off with the newly installed Starlink system.
Greater Connectivity At 35,000 Feet
MileagePlus loyalty program members flying on United Airlines’ Boeing 737-800s, which typically operate domestic routes within the US, will have free access to Wi-Fi with speeds of up to 250 megabits per second (Mbps). United currently operates 141 Boeing 737-800s, with an average age of 21.6 years, according to ch-aviation data. Having just received FAA certification to install the new Starlink systems, the airline has only recently begun the rollout, a process that will take time to complete.
So far, the airline has been successful in the process of securing FAA certification to install Starlink on every United aircraft type slated to receive the new equipment. United Airlines installed Starlink on more than half of the aircraft in its regional fleet. Commenting on the Starlink deployment on its Boeing 737-800s, Grant Milstead, United’s Vice President of Digital Technology, said:
“Customers are loving the Starlink experience onboard our regional aircraft, and our first Starlink-equipped mainline aircraft will bring a superior inflight experience to even more people. We’re working to install Starlink and offer game-changing inflight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, gaming and more.”
An Ambitious Plan
Last year, United Airlines signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to provide Starlink Wi-Fi service free of charge to MileagePlus members across both its mainline and regional fleets. Equipping a United Express Embraer E175 and United’s Boeing 737-800s is just the beginning. The airline aims to offer Starlink across its entire fleet. At present, the Chicago-based airline has a total of 1,052 aircraft in its fleet, with an average age of 16.8 years, as per ch-aviation data.
Getting a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the FAA requires approval of the design, installation, testing, and certification of the system to ensure safe and reliable operations. For United Airlines, Starlink is not just faster Wi-Fi for passengers but also easier to install, lighter, more resilient, and requires less fuel to operate the aircraft.
Securing an STC for each aircraft model is, indeed, an ambitious plan, as United Airlines operates more than 16 different types of aircraft. Also, the installation time is about four days, which includes removing previous Wi-Fi equipment, installing, and post-installation testing. Installing standard airborne Wi-Fi would take over ten days.
Other Airlines Offering Starlink Wi-Fi
Airlines around the world are seeing growing passenger demand for better in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity. Alongside United Airlines, US carriers such as Hawaiian Airlines already offer Starlink Wi-Fi. In September 2024, it was reported that the carrier had completed the installation of Starlink Wi-Fi on its Airbus A321 and Airbus A330-200 widebody fleet.
Indeed, Hawaiian Airlines was the first to offer Starlink internet connectivity onboard its aircraft. And now, the Alaska Air Group is looking to expand this offering on other planes as well. Following its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines has also announced plans to equip its aircraft fleet with Starlink, beginning in 2026 and expanding to all aircraft by 2027.
