United Airlines has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification to operate its first mainline aircraft equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi.
In what’s great news for travelers, the FAA approved Starlink’s Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) amendment for the Boeing 737-800 to include United’s fleet, the Chicago-based carrier announced on Friday.
United has already completed the equipment installation on its first mainline plane, with the debut flight scheduled to fly from Newark Liberty International Airport on October 15.
The airline first debuted Starlink’s high-speed and easy-to-use connection on an Embraer 175 regional flight this past May and the SpaceX Wi-Fi option is now installed on more than half of the aircraft in United’s regional fleet. The carrier’s Starlink rollout continues with installation on approximately 50 regional jets each month.
“Customers are loving the Starlink experience onboard our regional aircraft, and our first Starlink-equipped mainline aircraft will bring a superior in-flight experience to even more people,” Grant Milstead, United’s Vice President of Digital Technology, said in a statement.
“We’re working to install Starlink and offer game-changing in-flight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, gaming and more.”
Starlink is free for all MileagePlus customers so travelers will need to enroll in the loyalty program to gain access.
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