OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:40 PM – Friday, September 13, 2024
Using Starlink, a satellite service provider owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, United Airlines announced on Friday that it will deliver free in-flight Wi-Fi on hundreds of its aircrafts. This is the largest in-flight internet agreement the satellite carrier has ever been apart of.
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The collaboration occurs at a time when airlines are attempting to draw in higher-paying passengers, such as business travelers, by investing in speedier in-flight Wi-Fi and occasionally providing it for free.
Last year, Delta Air Lines announced that SkyMiles loyalty program members would have free onboard internet, and Hawaiian Airlines also offers free in-flight Wi-Fi as part of their partnership with Starlink.
A prior agreement was also made by SpaceX with JSX, a semi-private airline.
United currently charges fliers $8 if they are loyalty club members and $10 for everyone else to access in-flight internet on domestic and short-haul international flights, which is provided by a motley assortment of suppliers such as ViaSat and Panasonic.
The airline stated that Starlink will be installed on more than 1,000 of its aircraft during the “next several years,” seeing the first passenger flights equipped with the service early in the next year. There will be “gate-to-gate” connectivity via the WiFi.
As a selling point for the airline with the most service over both the Atlantic and Pacific, United praised SpaceX’s satellite service, stating that it offers “internet access around the world, including over oceans, polar regions, and other remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals.”
Since its launch in 2020, SpaceX has gradually increased the scope of its Starlink network and range of products. According to the company, there are already over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, connecting over 3 million clients across 100 countries.
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