United Receives FAA Certification for Its First Mainline Aircraft Equipped with Starlink
United Airlines announced this Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified its first mainline aircraft equipped with Starlink, marking a decisive step in the modernization of its fleet. The inaugural flight with this service is scheduled for October 15th from Newark/New York, aboard a Boeing 737-800.
From Regional Debut to Mainline Expansion
This achievement comes less than five months after the first passenger flight on a Starlink-equipped Embraer 175 regional jet and less than a year since United signed the industry’s largest agreement with SpaceX to incorporate the service on mainline and regional aircraft.
Currently, more than half of United’s regional aircraft are already equipped with Starlink, following the initial experience in May 2025. Initial results have been positive: 90% of customers valued the ability to stream content in-flight, highlighting the system’s fast, stable, and simple connectivity.
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United’s Vision: Limitless Entertainment
“Customers have been enjoying the Starlink experience on our regional flights, and now we will bring this superior service to more people with our first equipped mainline aircraft,” said Grant Milstead, Vice President of Digital Technology at United.
The company plans to extend the service to its entire fleet, offering onboard entertainment experiences such as streaming, online shopping, video games, and more, with the promise of the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky, completely free for MileagePlus members.
Certification and Technical Advantages
The FAA approved the amendment to the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to include United’s Boeing 737-800. This process encompasses design, installation, testing, and certification, ensuring safe and reliable operations.
United highlighted the system’s technical benefits:
- Reduced weight compared to other equipment, leading to lower fuel consumption.
- Faster and simpler installation, facilitating maintenance.
- Greater reliability and resilience to adverse weather conditions.
Compared to other providers, Starlink offers speeds of up to 250 Mbps, paving the way for a revolutionary inflight connectivity service.
Ongoing Expansion
Starlink continues to receive FAA certifications for installation on more than 16 models of United’s regional and mainline aircraft, reinforcing the airline’s strategy to differentiate itself with cutting-edge technology and improve the travel experience.
Furthermore, access to Starlink is included for free for all MileagePlus customers, whose registration is also free of charge at united.com/starlink.
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