United’s First Starlink-Equipped Mainline Jet Flies Tomorrow. I Got To Test It Out Before It Does.

In May, I was invited to attend a special media preview flight for the first United regional jet equipped with Starlink inflight Wi-Fi.

Just 5 months later, I took to the skies again with United on another flight from Chicago to Chicago to test out the blazing-fast service on board the airline’s first Starlink-equipped mainline aircraft.

Here’s what this special flight was like, along with an update on United’s fast-paced rollout across its fleet.

First Starlink-Equipped Mainline Jet To Take Flight

On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, United invited members of the media and a small group of content creators to join a flight from Chicago to Chicago to experience the carrier’s Starlink inflight Wi-Fi on board the first mainline aircraft equipped with the service.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 with registration N77525, will fly paying passengers on 3 scheduled flights tomorrow, October 15:

• UA2940: Newark (EWR) to Houston (IAH)
• UA365: Houston (IAH) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• UA445: Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Houston (IAH)

Fittingly, the first flight’s number, 2940, is the number of antennas United plans to install across its fleet as part of the Starlink installation project.

United says passengers on the above flights have been notified that their flight will feature Starlink connectivity.

On Board United’s First Starlink-Equipped Mainline Jet

United’s fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft was the first mainline type to receive FAA approval for Starlink installation. We recently learned that it had been installed on the first example of this aircraft type, and it’s now ready to fly.

Before this 737 takes paying passengers on regularly scheduled flights tomorrow, United took a small group of media members for a spin on a “flight to nowhere” from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to test out the service on a mainline aircraft for the first time.

Having been part of the group that was asked to do the same thing when the carrier introduced Starlink to its regional fleet just 5 months ago, I was excited to join my second Chicago-to-Chicago flight of the year to experience Starlink again.

After arriving at O’Hare, I made my way through the security checkpoint and over to gate B4 in Terminal 1, where our flight was scheduled to depart.

Similar to when I joined the media flight for the regional jet, the gate area was filled with a mix of United employees (including executives), media members, content creators, and others eager to get on board this exciting flight.

After remarks from a slate of United executives, including David Kinzelman, chief customer officer; Mara Palcisco, vice president of engineering and reliability; Grant Milstead, vice president of digital technology; and Richard Nunn, CEO of United Airlines MileagePlus, we were called to board the 737-800.

I caught a glimpse of the “Break the Wi-Fi Barrier” decal that will be found on every Starlink-equipped jet in United’s fleet.

As soon as I sat down, I pulled out my phone to connect to the Starlink service, given that it is a true gate-to-gate product. I found the United Wi-Fi network and was directed to the United mobile app (iOS, Android).

From there, it verified my United MileagePlus membership and redirected me to a browser page, where I was connected to the Starlink service.

This process was very similar to what I experienced back in May on my regional jet flight, though I could tell that it had been stylized a bit, with new animations and a new swiping functionality.

I waited until we had taken off to start testing some functions, even though I definitely did not need to do that. I guess old habits die hard.

At any rate, once we reached 10,000 feet, I went through a series of tasks I frequently perform on my phone, including scrolling through social media (with video-heavy apps like TikTok) for a few minutes, checking my email, and catching up on Slack messages, among others.

Just like my experience on my regional jet flight, these tasks were handled with aplomb — it felt just like I was in my apartment.

Next, I navigated to some more video-intensive apps, including YouTube TV, to see how the connection would handle streaming live television. Once again, no issues to report. Videos rendered instantly, and the picture was crystal clear.

Then, I FaceTimed my colleague Stella Shon. Unsurprisingly, the network handled it just fine. It looked like we were FaceTiming from the ground. United encouraged everyone to make video and/or FaceTime calls to prove the performance of the connection, but these types of calls are prohibited on “regular” flights.

Speaking of prohibited, here’s a reminder of United’s code of conduct for Starlink-equipped flights:

Federal law prohibits voice and video calls during flights. Passengers should use headphones when consuming content with volume and ensure any viewing content is inoffensive to those seated around them.

I opened up my laptop so I could upload some photos to Upgraded Points’ media library and start working on this story. Photos uploaded snappily — there was no hesitation to speak of.

I performed several speed tests and got download speeds above 200 Mbps and uploads in excess of 20 Mbps every time I tested.

However, only a small percentage of users will genuinely care about the precise figures. Most users simply want an experience that emulates Wi-Fi functionality on the ground, and this is exactly what United’s Starlink service does. It works from the moment you step on the plane until the moment you step off. It’s easy to access, delivers a seamless browsing and streaming experience, and is free for MileagePlus members.

What’s Changed With Starlink’s Jump From Regional to Mainline Aircraft?

I can answer that question in just a couple of words: “not much.” But that’s a good thing, as my experience with United’s Starlink service on board a regional jet was pretty fantastic.

The most significant difference between the regional and mainline jet experience is that the mainline aircraft (mostly) have inflight entertainment screens, which United has begun to integrate into the Starlink experience.

Passengers flying on Starlink-equipped flights with IFE screens will notice a bit of personalization, enabled by the additional bandwidth provided by the 2 Starlink antennas found on each mainline aircraft.

As soon as you start interacting with the IFE system, your name will be displayed.

You’ll then be prompted to verify your identity by either scanning a QR code and verifying it on your phone or by entering your birthdate.

For now, capabilities are generally limited to connecting flight and baggage carousel information, viewing rebooking options in the event of a delay or cancellation, and upgrade opportunities for your next flight, should you have one.

However, as United gets more experience with Starlink’s capabilities, it says passengers can expect even more personalization in the future.

Having experienced a Starlink flight on both regional and mainline jets, I can say the experiences are largely consistent. However, the presence of IFE screens on the mainline jets adds another layer, and it’s sure to become an even more prominent feature of Starlink flights in the future.

How Is United’s Starlink Rollout Going?

Just like a Starlink connection itself, United’s rollout of the service is downright speedy.

Since my regional jet flight in May, the airline says it’s equipped more than half of its fleet of regional jets — about 170 planes — with a Starlink connection, and is on track to complete retrofits on almost the entire regional fleet by the end of the year.

That rapid clip should continue on the mainline fleet, as United says it expects to complete up to 15 737-800 retrofits per month, which complements its goal of having more than 300,000 seatback IFE screens across its fleet by the end of 2027.

Additionally, the carrier states that it should have FAA approval for Starlink installation and operation on another mainline aircraft type by the end of this year; however, it has not yet revealed which type that is.

Final Thoughts

After my second experience with United’s Starlink inflight Wi-Fi connection, I’m thoroughly impressed. It’s an incredibly easy, user-friendly process to connect, you can expect to interact with the internet in basically the same way that you would on terra firma, and, of course, it’s completely free to use for United’s MileagePlus members.

Now that the carrier has begun installing Starlink on its mainline jets, more customers will experience the lightning-quick connection every day. Soon, I can imagine it will be hard to return to a “normal” inflight Wi-Fi connection, so I hope United can keep up the pace of retrofits.

Based on how it’s been going so far, I have no doubt they will.