United’s Starlink-powered Wi-Fi is the end of airplane mode
1 min read
Summary
United Airlines last week operated a test flight equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet, with The Verge’s James Vincent aboard, revealing an “impressive” 128Mbps average download speed.
The airline has partnered with Starlink to equip its entire 1,026 plane fleet with the satellite internet service, beginning with a short-hop flight between Chicago and Detroit on 15 May.
United is not the first airline to offer the service, but it is the largest, with David Kinzelman, the airline’s chief customer officer, claiming the service would bring “Wi-Fi from just like your living room to the skies”.
Starlink’s advantage is its Key to offer low-latency internet thanks to its low Earth orbit satellite network of over 7,000 satellites.