United Airlines operated its first transatlantic passenger flight equipped with Starlink internet on June 22, extending the satellite connectivity system to its long-haul fleet.
Flight UA14 departed Newark for London Heathrow aboard a Boeing 777-200, becoming the first widebody aircraft in the airline's network to enter service with the SpaceX-developed system.
The move follows a rollout that began in 2025 on United's Embraer E175 regional jets before expanding to Boeing 737 narrowbody aircraft. More than 400 aircraft are now equipped with Starlink, and the carrier expects that number to approach 1,000 by the end of the year.
United said nearly 60 widebody aircraft are scheduled to receive the system in 2026, with installations planned across the rest of the long-haul fleet by next summer.
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The airline operates one of the world's largest long-haul networks, with flights crossing the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic regions. Unlike previous generations of inflight connectivity, Starlink uses a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites designed to provide internet coverage over oceans, polar routes and other areas where traditional air-to-ground systems cannot operate.
According to United, passengers have connected nearly 10 million devices on Starlink-equipped aircraft since the service entered operation. The airline said more than 18 million passengers have flown on aircraft fitted with the system across over 311,000 flights.
The carrier is offering the service free of charge to members of its MileagePlus loyalty program. The system supports simultaneous connections from multiple devices and bandwidth-intensive applications such as video streaming, online gaming and real-time file transfers.
United has been investing heavily in onboard technology in recent years. The airline currently operates more than 167,000 seatback entertainment screens across nearly 900 aircraft and plans to increase that number as new aircraft enter the fleet and older jets undergo cabin upgrades.
