I don’t think there’s any way around it: Internet in the sky has never been a perfect experience. However, many airlines are starting to reverse this trend, and in the United States, United Airlines stands out from the rest.
It’s not just about frequently updating your app with useful features: real-time boarding group notifications, anyone? – but also a partnership with Apple to help you find your bag sooner thanks to AirTag. Now, the company is ambitiously upgrading its in-car Wi-Fi and Internet product.
In October 2025, I had the chance to fly aboard United’s first jet — a Boeing 737-900 — with fast, free Wi-Fi powered by Starlink. After the flight, I wrote: “I feel 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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Now, every United Express regional plane is equipped with Starlink – a significant upgrade, as these planes previously had some of the least reliable satellite internet access – and United has Starlink on 18 mainline planes. This was a busier flight, with a lot more media, creators, and influencers that really put a strain on the network. This is planned for a Starlink demo flight, but even with slower speed tests, I didn’t experience significant latency or lag with any tasks that would normally struggle on today’s in-flight internet systems.
At best, via an iPhone 17 Pro Max, I got 291 Mbps download and 35.1 Mbps upload. Towards the end of the flight, before we started the descent, I got about 41.7 Mbps download through an iPhone Air.
Even with these variants, I could live stream 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 non-Starlink-equipped United flights.
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 texts, photos and videos – thanks to my brother for sending photos of my puppy Rosie. I didn’t feel disconnected, even flying over Los Angeles at 35,000 feet.
Everything was very instantaneous, with speeds similar to using my iPhone on 5G cellular or Wi-Fi networks at home and in the office. United has also made the sign-in process very simple – and it’s completely free.
Right now, for standard in-flight Wi-Fi, you can pay anywhere from $8 if you’re a MileagePlus member — or $10 without — up to more than $17.99 for international routes, where the network can be particularly 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 slogan for its Starlink-powered Wi-Fi. You will go through approximately three screens, including three rules that you must follow:
- Voice and video calls are prohibited by federal law
- Enjoy audio, video, online games and live events while using headphones
- If other people find what you are watching offensive, please choose something else to stream.
You’ll sign in with your United MileagePlus account — membership is free and unlocks free Wi-Fi — or, if you sign in on your phone with the United app installed, it should populate automatically. From there, you’ll watch two quick commercials — I saw a 30-second Starlink commercial and a 17-second United credit card commercial — then you’ll be logged in and off to the races.
Throughout the flight — which seemed like a better representation of a true Starlink business experience, something United now manages on a daily basis — the in-flight Wi-Fi was consistent, smooth, and, most importantly, caused no obstacles.
Although not allowed on a typical commercial flight, we were allowed to try video calls to really push Starlink’s capabilities to the max. I was able to FaceTime with TechRadar Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff and it was clear, with no noticeable latency or distortion in voice or video. He reported that I looked great on the other end of the line. Same with my family, to whom I wanted to show live a 35,000 foot view of the California coast.
It was seamless: 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 TV newscast, respond to emails, and use just about any device I had.
In October 2025, I also tried to connect the Nintendo Switch 2. United looked into it, and while I still couldn’t connect it on this second Starlink demo flight, the airline tells me that a fix is coming and the console should start working in the coming weeks.
Likewise, while I can upload videos to TikTok and Instagram – and even put them live on both platforms – the uploads aren’t lightning-fast. A video less than a minute long took about five minutes to upload, but it’s passable. I probably wouldn’t use a flight to download a long-form video, but for collaboration, tools like Google Docs or Pages worked well.
Just like the Boeing 737-800 I first flew with Starlink in October 2025, two Starlink antennas are mounted on the top of the plane near the front, along with four onboard routers distributing the connection. It’s also multi-device: I connected two iPhones, an iPad and a MacBook Pro without problem.
United is still on track to equip its entire fleet with Starlink by the end of 2027. That’s still a long way off, but progress is steady – with 16 additional mainline jets added since October 2025 and the entire United Express regional fleet now equipped. Next come larger jets – like 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 refines the installation process. It is also clear that the airline is on the right track, as others – both domestically and internationally – take similar steps.
Zach Griff, travel expert and author of the From the Tray Table travel newsletter, shared with TechRadar: “Starlink is truly a game-changer for in-flight Wi-Fi. Low latency and lightning-fast download speeds make streaming a breeze. On United, Starlink is an even bigger deal because existing satellite Wi-Fi providers can be lackluster at best.”
“That’s why I think the next 18 months are going to be painful for United travelers. They’ve now seen the future with what Starlink WiFi will be fleet-wide, but they’ll have to wait until the end of 2027 to experience it on every aircraft.”
And I agree, United’s vision of “enabling the living room experience in the sky” seems truly distinct – something Grant Milstead, United’s vice president of digital technology, reinforced during this test flight and even earlier, when Starlink was just an announcement.
Currently, 344 planes are equipped with Starlink and United has operated more than 167,000 flights with the free, faster Wi-Fi – but for those waiting, this rollout can’t come soon enough.
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