Already 50% of flights with Starlink. Photo: United Airlines United Airlines has announced significant progress in deploying its Starlink satellite internet service on its aircraft. As of November 12, 2026, the service is available on more than half of the company's daily flights, with the goal of reaching about 64% of flights by year-end and completing fleet-wide installations by the end of 2027.
The launch comes ahead of the Thanksgiving period and the start of the holiday season in the US, when United expects to fly more than 6.6 million passengers. The Starlink service is free for MileagePlus club members and lets you connect to high-speed Internet throughout the flight on multiple devices at once.
Among the innovations for passengers: the ability to watch live sports games on personal seat screens and personal devices, as well as connecting a personal Spotify account to the entertainment screens on aircraft equipped with the service.
The company is also offering a series of other upgrades for the holiday season. Its app includes real-time baggage tracking, boarding updates, airport navigation and flight rebooking options. The company estimates that using the digital tools could save passengers up to 30 minutes at the airport.
In addition, ConnectionSaver technology allows aircraft to be "held" at the gate for a few more minutes for passengers with crowded connecting flights, when this is possible without significantly impacting schedules.
The in-flight menu is also expanding, with new snack packs, pre-order options for meals in Economy Class, and upgrades to the Polaris business class menu.
United expects to operate more than 4,800 flights per day between November 19 and December 1, with an average of more than 500,000 passengers per day. Peak traffic is expected on November 29, with approximately 600,000 passengers.