I Examined United’s New Starlink Wi-Fi. Right here’s My Trustworthy Evaluation.

Earlier this week, I purchased Wi-Fi on a transcontinental United Airways flight. It was horrible and just about unusable.

However that’s quickly about to alter, as United begins its rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi aboard its United Specific regional jets. The primary industrial United flight with Starlink is predicted to launch Could 15, 2025, on flight UA 5717 from Chicago to Detroit. The Embraer 175 aircraft working that flight is the primary of United’s two-cabin regional jets that will likely be getting the service by yr’s finish.

Starlink, a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX, is a satellite tv for pc web community that operates 1000’s of low Earth-orbit satellites to supply increased web speeds to its customers across the globe.

The Chicago-based airline says Starlink will ultimately be enabled throughout its whole fleet, with the primary mainline United aircraft anticipated to get Starlink someday this yr. The brand new Wi-Fi, which will likely be free for all United MileagePlus members, is predicted to be a game-changer, offering gate-to-gate connectivity for as many units as you need.

United invited me on a media flight to take a look at the Starlink service earlier than it rolls out to most of the people. Regardless of just a few hiccups, the expertise was an enormous improve over the same old in-flight Wi-Fi.

To entry the Wi-Fi, you’ll have to have a MileagePlus account and hook up with United’s Wi-Fi community, usually referred to as “Unitedwifi.com.” When you join in your cellphone, a browser will pop up robotically and current what United is asking a “code of conduct” for utilizing Starlink Wi-Fi.

The principles prohibit voice and video calls, require headphones for audio, and advise in opposition to viewing content material that others may discover offensive. When you agree to those phrases, you’ll be able to signal into your MileagePlus account to entry the Wi-Fi. There’s speculated to be a seamless one-click choice for individuals who have the United app put in, nevertheless it didn’t work for me.

After you check in, you’ll want to observe two ads. I had a 30-second Marriott advert, adopted by a 17-second advert for United bank cards. As soon as that’s performed, you’re prepared to make use of the Wi-Fi.

If in case you have extra units, connecting is simple. Simply be a part of the Wi-Fi community in your machine. If a window doesn’t pop up, you’ll be able to go to onboard.united.com. If you click on on the sign-in button, a QR code will seem that you could scan along with your cellphone. It will robotically join that machine after you watch the required adverts.

There are nonetheless some kinks that United must work out (there are reminders all through the web page that it’s nonetheless in beta mode), however I discovered it easy and intuitive to make use of.

You should utilize the Wi-Fi even when you do not have your MileagePlus quantity hooked up to your itinerary. That is useful for individuals who wish to gather miles with a frequent flyer program apart from MileagePlus.

United is billing Starlink as “the quickest Wi-Fi within the sky,” and based mostly on web velocity take a look at outcomes through the flight, it definitely appeared true at occasions. All through the 90-minute flight, I repeatedly clocked obtain speeds of over 100 megabits per second, with speeds peaking at 222 megabits per second (Mbps). Add speeds usually ranged from 6 to 18 Mbps.

I used to be in a position to obtain the YouTube app (308.4 MB) in seconds, watch YouTube movies, stream exhibits, hearken to Spotify and even FaceTime some family and friends, who stated my image high quality was extraordinarily clear. (Be mindful you aren’t allowed to make calls on common industrial flights; this was a media flight.) Somebody was even enjoying World of Warcraft within the air.

However there have been additionally occasions when the web speeds appeared to sluggish, dropping to eight.15 Mbps obtain and three.95 Mbps add. In comparison with the highest speeds, that’s not nice. That turned obvious on websites like YouTube, the place video thumbnails took just a few seconds to load.

However context is vital right here. As a result of it was a media flight, lots of people got here ready to emphasize take a look at the system, together with native TV digicam crews, content material creators and journalists, many with a number of units and one particular person close to me declaring that he could be importing tons of content material through the flight. Hopefully, a industrial flight with extra common Wi-Fi use would supply a extra constant expertise.

When in comparison with my flight earlier this week, which had abysmally sluggish speeds of 0.53 Mbps obtain and 0.01 Mbps add, calling Starlink a major enchancment seems like an understatement. However the fluctuating speeds throughout my flight made it clear that Starlink nonetheless has some limitations.

With Starlink, United passengers may have entry to the web from pushback to arrival. That makes a giant distinction, particularly once you’re flying on a regional jet that requires you to be above a selected altitude earlier than you’ll be able to hook up with Wi-Fi.

“We wish you to begin the expertise as quickly as you sit down, and the expertise will finish at your vacation spot once you’re prepared to face up,” Grant Milstead, United’s vp of digital expertise, stated on the occasion. “No ready for that ding at 10,000 ft.”

As soon as Starlink is expanded to the mainline fleet, the seatback display screen will likely be related to the web in a means that U.S. airways haven’t been in a position to do earlier than, Milstead informed NerdWallet.

That might unlock issues like displaying baggage carousel numbers, monitoring baggage tags and even rebooking flights if crucial.

When you’re flying on a regional jet, you might marvel in case your flight has Starlink enabled. A simple strategy to test is by going to your flight’s standing web page and checking the “leisure” part underneath “inflight facilities.”

Starlink-enabled plane will say, “Web by Starlink, free for United MileagePlus members.”

As a United frequent flyer, I like the airline’s world route community, which suggests I’m usually taking flights which can be 10 to 17 hours lengthy. That’s a very long time to go with out high-speed web connectivity, so I’m extraordinarily excited concerning the potential Starlink has to enhance the onboard United expertise.

Nevertheless, it stays to be seen how the brand new Wi-Fi will fare on these worldwide long-haul flights over the ocean and over sure international locations. I’m wanting ahead to the second when Starlink is added to the complete fleet, though that timeline remains to be unclear.

As somebody who likes to journey, I’m additionally enthusiastic about what this implies for air journey at massive and the trade’s embrace of free Wi-Fi.

Hawaiian Airways and Qatar Airways have already put in Starlink aboard a few of their planes and provide it as a complimentary service, simply as United plans to do (so long as you join its free MileagePlus loyalty program). Air France and SAS (Scandinavian Airways) are additionally anticipated to begin including Starlink to flights this yr, freed from cost.

Different airways provide free Wi-Fi, albeit not through Starlink, together with Delta Air Traces and JetBlue Airways. Even American Airways, which doesn’t provide free messaging to all passengers, introduced free Wi-Fi was coming, beginning 2026.

With all these airways on board with free Wi-Fi, it appears doubtless that this isn’t a fad however right here to remain.

High picture courtesy of United Airways.