SpaceX’s Starlink is being expanded to additional United Airlines aircraft after a new round of regulatory approvals, marking another step in the carrier’s goal of bringing faster, lower-latency Wi‑Fi across its fleet. United said it has received Federal Aviation Administration approval to put the service on more of its mainline jets beyond the smaller regional style where Starlink has already been deployed.
Starlink to Extend Across United Fleet With FAA Approval
The latest FAA sign-off covers Starlink hardware on United’s Boeing 737-800s, a high-flying narrowbody workhorse that ferries many of the airline’s busiest domestic routes. An STC will be required for each type of aircraft, and United says Starlink is seeking approvals for more than 16 regional and mainline models to provide a consistent installation process throughout the fleet.
An FAA STC is more than just paperwork. It demonstrates that antennas, radomes, cabling and avionics integration are safe and provide necessary system performance when subjected to real-world conditions such as lightning, high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF) and aerodynamic loads. That green light means it enables line-fit or retrofit installations to be able to progress at pace.
Regional Rollout, and a Solved Interference Hiccup
United says Starlink is already installed in more than half of the aircraft in its regional fleet, primarily Embraer 175s. Early on in that program, engineers experienced a static interference issue attributed to the placement of antennas relative to equipment for pilots’ communication with air traffic control. The interference, referred to as ‘co-site self-interference’ when high-power, electronically steered arrays are added to a crowded airframe, was identified by the airline, mitigated with revised positioning, and it’s been resolved since.
Having the interference fix and more STCs behind us, things continue to be throughput-driven. Airlines generally part out connectivity retrofits through overnight ground time or regularly planned maintenance to keep aircraft time on the ground to a minimum, while also standardizing cabling runs, power supplies and cabin access points.
What Starlink Will Look Like to Passengers
Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) network is engineered to be able to deliver high throughput and low latency that matches or exceeds currently existing transfer services, but at a much more attractive price. Information from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence has indicated median in-flight downloads of, say, 120 to 160 Mbps on equipped aircraft — enough to support streaming, cloud apps and VPN sessions for a whole cabin.
The performance edge stems from shorter round trips — LEO satellites fly much closer to Earth — reducing latency that can make web apps and video calls feel snappier. Airlines that are taking on Starlink, such as Hawaiian Airlines and Qatar Airways, are touting a more “home-like” experience when it comes to connectivity; others like Air France are at some stage along the tracks. “Starlink is already operating on over 1,000 aircraft around the world, a number expected to rapidly increase with additional fleets gaining certification,” SpaceX said.
Why This Matters for United’s Network and Passengers
Equipping 737-800s is strategic because they carry a high proportion of United’s domestic and near-international flying. Using the same Wi-Fi platform on regional connectors and mainline routes also minimizes any differences in passenger experience and streamlines support for the airline’s operations and IT personnel.
Standardization also allows for consistent bandwidth management and content filtering policy, simplified spares provisioning, as well as quicker troubleshooting leveraging unified dashboards. For frequent flyers, it’s a greater chance that the service will be familiar no matter what plane or route.
Competitive Landscape and the Road Ahead
SpaceX’s lead in aviation is under challenge from another LEO constellation, Amazon’s Project Kuiper. JetBlue announced that it has selected Kuiper for future in-flight connectivity, marking a two-horse race to deliver fiber-like performance from the stratosphere. Amazon is signaling an aggressive ramp to early commercial service while SpaceX has the advantage of a mature satellite fleet plus vertically integrated antennas and a massive backlog of airline wins.
For United, the short-term goal is scale: finish off the STC portfolio, convert more mainline aircraft, and keep installs on schedule without affecting schedules. If the reality of LEO connectivity lives up to the promise — fast, low-latency communication in a high-reliability envelope — United’s fleetwide upgrade could reset passenger expectations for what “good Wi-Fi” looks like at 35,000 feet.
Sources: United Airlines announcements on fleet installations and certification, Federal Aviation Administration STC processes, snippets of information from SpaceX on airline deployments, Ookla Speedtest Intelligence performance benchmarking.
