United Airlines just announced that its whole mainline fleet of more than 1,000 planes will offerStarlink'shigh-speed Internet for free to its passengers.
This makes it the largest airline to offer free in-flight Internet provided by Starlink satellites, and one of SpaceX's biggest commercial customers.
United will start testing Starlink connectivity on its planes early next year, and will gradually equip nearly all of them with fast and free Internet in a gamechanging move that other industry stalwarts may soon follow.
The first United planes with integrated Starlink connectivity are expected to take off as soon as 2025, too, but it will take "several years" for the service to expand to the whole of United's fleet.
The move will take time because United plans to offer free Starlink satellite Internet not only for its passengers' phones and laptops, but also at the seatback entertainment screens. All of its planes will be retrofitted with the new United signature interior, with10-inch screens on the back of every Economy seat and 13-inch screens on First Class seats.
The exclusivePolaris business class seats will be appointed with big16-inch HD touch screens, too, and perhaps that is why United cautions that rolling out the free Starlink service will take some time to reach all of its aircraft.
In addition to in-flight satellite Internet on the seatback screens, United's new signature interior retrofits will bring LED lighting, Bluetooth connection and charging outlets on every seat, as well as bigger overhead luggage bins.
According to United's Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby, "everything you can do on the ground, you'll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world," referring to the free Starlink Internet the airline will provide to its passengers.
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