I don’t think there’s any other way around it: Internet in the sky has never been a perfect experience. However, many airlines are beginning to buck that trend, and in the United States, United Airlines has been outperforming the rest.
Not only does it frequently update its app with useful features: real-time boarding group notifications, anyone? – but also partnering with Apple to help you get your bag back faster thanks to AirTag. Now, it’s ambitiously updating its built-in Wi-Fi and Internet product.
In October 2025, I had the opportunity to fly aboard United’s first mainline aircraft, a Boeing 737-900, with free, fast Wi-Fi powered by Starlink. After the flight, I wrote: “It seems like the Internet has finally reached the sky.” That’s still accurate and sums up my main feelings, but I was able to fly again, this time on a slightly different Boeing 737-900, and United has been working hard to expedite these facilities.
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All United Express regional planes now have Starlink (a big improvement, since those planes previously had the less reliable satellite Internet), and United has Starlink on 18 mainline planes. This was a fuller flight, with many more media outlets, creators and influencers really putting the network to the test. This is expected for a Starlink demo flight, but even with slower speed tests, I didn’t experience latency or much lag with any tasks that I would normally struggle with on current in-flight Internet systems.
At best, through an iPhone 17 Pro Max, I got 291 Mbps download and 35.1 Mbps upload. Towards the end of the flight, before beginning the descent, I managed a download of around 41.7 Mbps through an iPhone Air.
Even with those variations, I could livestream a show or movie, or even select a “live channel” through Disney+ on an iPad, watch any video on YouTube, and scroll through TikTok or Instagram Reels without the slowdowns or loading issues typical of United flights that aren’t equipped with Starlink.
But perhaps the best part is simply being able to stay connected. I’ve never had a problem sending a message via iMessage, WhatsApp, or even Facebook Messenger. I could send and receive text messages, photos and videos; Thanks to my brother for sending me photos of my puppy Rosie. I didn’t feel disconnected, even while flying over Los Angeles at 35,000 feet.
Everything felt very instantaneous, with speeds similar to using my iPhone on 5G cellular networks or home and office Wi-Fi. United has also made the connection process much simpler, and it’s completely free.
Right now, for standard onboard Wi-Fi, you could pay anywhere from $8 if you’re a MileagePlus member (or $10 without) to more than $17.99 for international routes, where the network can be especially spotty.
You’ll start by connecting to United Wi-Fi, which you can do as soon as you board. From there, follow the on-screen steps, starting with a screen that says “Break the barrier.”
That’s United’s motto for its Starlink-powered Wi-Fi. You will go through about three screens, including three rules that you must follow:
- Voice and video calls are prohibited by federal law
- Enjoy audio, video, online gaming and live event content while wearing headphones
- If others might find what you’re watching offensive, choose something else to stream
You’ll either sign in with your United MileagePlus account (it’s free to join and unlocks free Wi-Fi) or, if you sign in on your phone with the United app installed, it should complete automatically. From there, you’ll see two quick ads (I saw a 30-second Starlink one and a 17-second United credit card one) and then you’ll be connected and off to the races.
Throughout the flight, which seemed like a better representation of a true commercial Starlink experience, something United now runs daily, the onboard Wi-Fi was consistent, smooth, and, most importantly, didn’t cause any obstacles.
While not allowed on a typical commercial flight, we were allowed to test video calling to push Starlink’s capabilities to the fullest. I was able to FaceTime with TechRadar’s editor-at-large, Lance Ulanoff, and it was clear, with no noticeable latency or voice or video confusion. He reported that I looked great on the other end of the line. Same with my family, who I wanted to show a live 35,000-foot view of the California coast.
It was perfect: I could easily browse the web, scroll through cloud storage like Google Drive or iCloud, stream videos, download songs to a Spotify playlist while streaming, access a live newscast, respond to emails, and use virtually any device I had.
In October 2025, I also tried to connect the Nintendo Switch 2. United has been looking into it, and while I haven’t been able to connect it yet on this second Starlink demo flight, the airline tells me that a patch is coming and the console should start working in the next few weeks.
Similarly, while I can upload videos to TikTok and Instagram, and even publish them on both platforms, the uploads are not lightning fast. A video less than a minute took about five minutes to load, but that’s acceptable. I probably wouldn’t use a flight to upload long-form videos, but for collaboration, tools like Google Docs or Pages worked well.
Like the Boeing 737-800 I first flew with Starlink in October 2025, there are two Starlink antennas mounted on the top of the plane near the front, along with four onboard routers that distribute the connection. It’s multi-device, too: I connected two iPhones, an iPad, and a MacBook Pro with no issues.
United is still on track to have its entire fleet equipped with Starlink by the end of 2027. There is still a long way to go, but progress is steady: 16 more major aircraft have been added since October 2025 and United Express’ entire regional fleet is now equipped. Next up are larger aircraft, such as the 787, 777, 757 and 767, as well as other variants of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A321.
We can only hope that the timeline continues to accelerate as United perfects the installation process. It’s also clear that the airline is right, as others, both domestic and international, are taking similar steps.
Zach Griff, travel expert and author of the travel newsletter From the Tray Table, shared with TechRadar: “Starlink is truly a game-changer for inflight Wi-Fi. Low latency and ultra-fast download speeds make streaming a breeze. On United, Starlink is an even bigger deal because existing satellite Wi-Fi providers can be mediocre at best.”
“That’s why I think the next 18 months will be painful for United passengers. They’ve now seen the future with what Starlink WiFi will look like across the fleet, but they’ll have to wait until late 2027 to experience it on every plane.”
And I agree, United’s vision of “enabling the living room experience in the sky” feels genuinely different, something Grant Milstead, United’s vice president of digital, reinforced on this test flight and even before, when Starlink was just an advertisement.
So far, 344 planes have Starlink and United has operated more than 167,000 flights with free, faster Wi-Fi, but for those waiting, that launch can’t come soon enough.
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