United Airlines Tops 300 Regional Jets With Starlink WiFi, Brings Free High-Speed Internet to 25% of Daily Departures

United announced a major milestone in its Starlink in-flight internet rollout. The airline finished installing Starlink-powered WiFi on over 300 two-cabin regional jets, and the service is now available on over 25 percent of its daily departures — around 1,200 flights per day.

United also shared early adoption figures: over 7 million travelers have flown on Starlink-equipped aircraft across more than 129,000 flights, with 3.7 million devices connecting, and the carrier says customer WiFi satisfaction on those flights has nearly doubled.

Why this shifts airline competition

This rollout pushes US airlines further toward a new baseline in which fast onboard internet is treated as a core product feature, not a paid add-on. Free connectivity tied to loyalty programs can influence airline choice and raise satisfaction scores.

It also intensifies competitive pressure: other carriers, such as Southwest and JetBlue, have moved toward complimentary WiFi models (often loyalty-based), and even airlines outside the US are publicly exploring how to deliver free onboard internet as technology improves.

Where it works, and what‘s coming next?

United’s regional milestone builds on a certification path that started with FAA approval for Starlink on the FAA-certified United Express Embraer E175, then expanded to mainline aircraft types like the Boeing 737-800.

United has repeatedly framed this as a fleet-wide modernization program, with the stated goal of adding Starlink to more than 500 mainline aircraft by end-2026, bringing the total to 800+ Starlink-equipped planes.

Meanwhile, Ryanair recently got into a public feud with Elon Musk after CEO Michael O’Leary claimed that Starlink WiFi is too expensive to install on the airline’s fleet. The disagreement generated a lot of attention and what O’Leary described as “free marketing.”

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash