Passengers on United Airlines will be able to go online for free beginning in 2025.
The carrier has stuck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, eventually resulting in free in-flight Wi-Fi on all planes via its Starlink satellite internet service. Rolling out Starlink to the entire fleet, however, is expected to take several years.
Testing of the service will begin early next year with the first passenger availability later in the year.
"Everything you can do on the ground, you'll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world," said United CEO Scott Kirby in a statement. "This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback."
Currently, United passengers who want to go online pay between $8 and $10 to do so.
United will be the second major airline to offer free Wi-Fi across its fleet. Delta Air Lines began offering the amenity to members of its frequent flyer program on domestic flights last year. It’s in the process of expanding that offering to international flights now.
Smaller carriers, such as JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines, also offer free in-flight Wi-Fi.
Starlink, though, could give passengers more of a broadband experience, compared to the sometimes-spotty performance of in-flight Wi-Fi elsewhere. United said users will be able to access streaming services and watch live TV without buffering, play video games on live-game streaming services, and connect multiple devices at the same time.
Before all of that, however, the Federal Aviation Administration needs to approve the hardware that will be used to provide the Wi-Fi on United’s planes. That could take some time, notes The Washington Post.
