United Will Debut Starlink Wi-Fi on Flights Next Week, and I Got To Test It Out Early

Last year, we learned that United Airlines had partnered with Starlink to install blazing-fast inflight Wi-Fi in over 1,000 of its aircraft.

Since then, the airline has accelerated its installation timeline. In March of this year, we got word that United had finished the first installation of Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on one of its aircraft — an Embraer 175 regional jet. And now, roughly 2 months later, it’s time to introduce Starlink to flyers.

However, before its first commercial service, United invited media members and other influencers on a special “flight to nowhere” from Chicago O’Hare to Chicago O’Hare today, May 8, 2025, to test the connection in real-life situations. Being based in Chicago, I jumped at the opportunity to join the flight and put the new Starlink Wi-Fi through its paces.

Here’s what my experience was like and what you need to know about the ongoing Starlink rollout across United’s fleet.

United Is Full Steam Ahead With Its Starlink Rollout

Just a few months after announcing its partnership with Starlink, United shared that it was accelerating the rollout of its new satellite inflight Internet service, and the carrier finished Starlink installation on its first regional jet less than 2 months later.

Now, Starlink is ready to fly with United Airlines. The first public flight equipped with free (for United MileagePlus members) Starlink Wi-Fi will take off on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Specifically, it’s flight UA5717, operated by the Embraer 175, from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Detroit (DTW), departing at 7:35 a.m. and arriving at 10:05 a.m. local time.

United said it will complete Starlink installation across its entire fleet of 2-class regional aircraft by the end of 2025. Part of the reason for choosing regional aircraft first is that none of these planes have seatback entertainment. Equipping them with Starlink, however, changes the game for passengers, as it allows for browsing, streaming, working, and more with speeds similar to — or even surpassing — those you’ll find on the ground.

Before it finishes installing Starlink on the regional fleet, United will have Starlink installed on its first mainline aircraft by the end of this year.

When the project is complete, more than 1,000 aircraft will be equipped with Starlink inflight Wi-Fi, which is great news for passengers.

United’s Starlink Preview Flight

As mentioned, I was invited to join a small group of media members to test the new Wi-Fi service on a flight that departed Chicago O’Hare and returned to Chicago O’Hare just over an hour later.

After clearing security, I made my way to gate B18 at ORD’s Terminal 1, where 3 United executives — David Kinzelman, United SVP of airport operations and chief customer officer; Richard Nunn, United MileagePlus CEO; and Grant Milstead, United VP of digital technology — delivered remarks to an excited crowd.

Milstead explained how easy it would be to connect to the service through the United MileagePlus mobile app. He also said it supports “gate to gate” connections (no more waiting to hit 10,000 feet) from multiple devices at once and was “faster than the Internet in [his] house.”

Soon after, with our expectations high, we were called to board the E175 regional jet. The plane appeared entirely normal, save for the “Break the Wi-Fi Barrier” placard advertising that it was equipped with Starlink, which presumably will be on every aircraft that gets the Starlink treatment in the future.

Once on board, I found my seat and immediately connected to finally experience Starlink inflight Wi-Fi.

Connecting to Starlink on United Airlines

If you have an upcoming flight on a Starlink-equipped flight, United will email you ahead of time to let you know. I received one the day before I was due to take off.

As promised, connecting to United’s brand-new Starlink Wi-Fi was quick and easy. First, I joined the “Unitedwifi.com” network on my phone, which prompted pop-up message. From there, all I had to do was click the “Get Started” button, and then the United app (iOS, Android) opened.

Since I was already logged in, the system verified me as a United MileagePlus member. I clicked “Connect,” watched a couple of quick videos, and I was online.

I then grabbed my computer to connect there as well. The process was similar, though it was easier since I was already connected on my phone.

I selected the “Unitedwifi.com” network and navigated to unitedwifi.com on my browser.

This brought up a page that allowed me to sign in with my MileagePlus credentials or via QR code.

Since I was already connected on my phone, I chose the QR code route. After scanning the code on my phone, my computer connected to the network.

Starlink Performance in the Air

After I connected to Starlink with both of my devices, I used them simultaneously to get a feel for what the experience would be like on a typical flight.

From my phone, I browsed social media and posted a video of our flight’s takeoff to my Instagram story. Both activities felt exactly like they would on the ground. I then pulled up my YouTube TV app to watch a few minutes of the Italian Open tennis tournament currently taking place in Rome while simultaneously reading the New York Times’ coverage of the papal election (also in Rome — it’s been a big week for the Italian capital).

On my computer, I checked my email, opened and sent a few messages on Slack, and uploaded some photos to Upgraded Points’ library of images, which I’d be using later in this story.

I turned back to my phone to FaceTime my colleague Chris Hassan, which worked perfectly — it wasn’t even blurry!

However, note that FaceTiming — and any other voice or video calling — will not be allowed on typical United flights with Starlink. In fact, United has a published code of conduct for customers to follow on Starlink-equipped flights. In addition to the ban on video and voice calls, flyers should remember to use headphones when watching anything with sound and refrain from viewing offensive content of any kind around other passengers.

Even though the flight was brief (and I was a little overwhelmed by trying to do all of the Internet things on this flight), I was impressed with Starlink’s performance. It handled everything I would want an inflight Wi-Fi connection to handle — and did easily. It genuinely felt like I was sitting in my apartment surfing the web while watching tennis on TV (bad habit, I know).

I even remarked to Chris on our FaceTime call that employees are quickly running out of excuses not to work on flights, given how good this connection was and promises to be as it’s installed on more and more planes.

Now, for some numbers. I ran a few speed tests during the flight and achieved a high mark of 154.92 Mbps download and 18.03 Mbps upload.

Most of my other tests yielded results of around 141 Mbps download/32 Mbps upload.

However, the numbers aren’t necessarily what’s important here. Instead, it’s the feeling that the Wi-Fi you’re using at 30,000 feet is just as powerful, quick, and stable as the connection you’d get on the ground. That’s precisely what United and Starlink delivered today.

Starlink as a Competitive Advantage

It’s no secret that United is hot on the heels of Delta Air Lines, which has been regarded as the all-around “best” carrier out of the “Big 3” domestic legacy carriers (the third being American Airlines) for quite some time.

Delta was the first to announce free, fast Wi-Fi for all of its SkyMiles members a couple of years ago. However, United hopes that the cachet of the Starlink brand will boost its image among flyers, giving it a distinct advantage over the Atlanta-based behemoth.

American, too, is jumping on the free Wi-Fi bandwagon. Through a partnership with AT&T, American plans to offer free inflight Wi-Fi to its AAdvantage members on more than 2 million flights beginning in January of next year.

Time will tell whether customers will choose an airline based on the inflight Wi-Fi provider or simply come to expect it as a feature of flying in the latter half of the 2020s.

Hot Tip:

Thinking about flying with United more frequently? Learn all about the United MileagePlus loyalty program in our full review!

Final Thoughts

United is hustling to install its robust — and very fast — Starlink satellite Wi-Fi across its entire fleet of regional jets. It will soon do the same on the vast majority of its mainline fleet.

Based on my quick flight from Chicago to Chicago today, I believe United flyers have much to look forward to with inflight connectivity going forward. It’s quick, it’s easy to connect to, and it mimics the experience you’d have using the Internet on the ground. What more could you ask for?

Oh, right. It’s completely free for all MileagePlus members.