United’s First Transatlantic Flight With Starlink Wi-Fi Takes Off for Europe Tonight

Updated: June 22, 2026, 4:03pm CDT

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Table of Contents

United Brings Starlink to International Routes
How United Stacks up Against Its Competitors
Final Thoughts

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United’s free Starlink Wi-Fi has been a game-changer for domestic travel since its launch last spring. Starting tonight, it’s crossing the Atlantic.

United flight 14, operated by a Boeing 777-200, departs Newark (EWR) for London (LHR) tonight, marking the airline’s first wide-body transatlantic customer flight equipped with Starlink. For frequent flyers who’ve suffered through sluggish legacy Wi-Fi on long-haul routes, this is worth paying attention to.

United Brings Starlink to International Routes

The aircraft operating tonight’s Newark-London flight is the first of nearly 60 United wide-body aircraft expected to get Starlink this year, with the entire wide-body fleet slated to follow by next summer. United currently has Starlink on more than 400 aircraft and expects to reach nearly 1,000 by year-end.

International routes out of United’s hub airports — Newark, Washington D.C. (IAD), Houston (IAH), and San Francisco (SFO) — are first in line. That means flights to London, Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA), Zurich (ZRH), Amsterdam (AMS), Buenos Aires (EZE), and Tokyo (HND and NRT) will progressively gain access to Starlink as more wide-bodies are outfitted.

Here’s what travelers actually need to know:

Is it free? Yes, but only for MileagePlus members. MileagePlus enrollment is free, so there’s no reason not to sign up before your next United flight.

How fast is it? Fast enough to stream, video call, game in real time, and collaborate on documents simultaneously across multiple devices. United reports Wi-Fi satisfaction scores on Starlink-equipped planes have nearly doubled since the rollout began, across 18.6 million passengers and more than 311,000 flights.

United Starlink Speed Test Computer — Speed test on a United flight. Image Credit: Speedtest.net

How do you know if your flight has it? United sends a notification before departure if your plane is Starlink-equipped. You can also check united.com/starlink.

When will the whole fleet have it? The entire wide-body fleet is targeted for next summer. Narrowbody expansion is already well underway with 400+ planes live today.

The practical upside for award travelers is real. If you’re burning 80,000+ MileagePlus miles on a transatlantic business class redemption, having reliable, fast, free Wi-Fi materially improves the experience you receive in exchange for those points.

How United Stacks up Against Its Competitors

United isn’t alone in the Starlink race. This has become an industry-wide push. Delta offers free Wi-Fi to SkyMiles members via Viasat, and American Airlines is in the middle of its own Starlink deployment, though its rollout is less uniform, with some aircraft still on AT&T’s older system. United currently has the largest Starlink-equipped fleet of the 3 and the clearest timeline for full-fleet completion.

Hot Tip:

For a deeper look at which airlines have Starlink and how they compare, see our full Starlink airline guide.

Final Thoughts

This is a meaningful step forward for international travelers, not just another incremental rollout update. Transatlantic and transpacific flights are exactly where legacy inflight Wi-Fi has always fallen short — due to spotty coverage, slow speeds, and steep prices. Starlink changes all 3 of these.

If you’re flying United, make sure you have a MileagePlus number attached to your reservation before you board. That’s the way to get free Starlink access if your plane has it.