United Spotlights Starlink Wi-Fi in New Big Game Ad as Airline Completes Installation on 300+ Regional Aircraft
United has installed Starlink on most of its two-cabin regional fleet – more than 300 airplanes – in less than a year, and expects to have it onboard more than half of its mainline fleet – an additional 500 aircraft – by the end of 2026
United uses the biggest advertising stage in the world to demonstrate what's now possible at 30,000 feet thanks to Starlink Wi-Fi – like streaming live sports, playing online games and more
More than 25% of the airline's daily departures now have Starlink, and Wi-Fi customer satisfaction scores on those aircraft have nearly doubled
CHICAGO, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In less than a year, United has equipped most of its two-cabin regional fleet – more than 300 aircraft – with Starlink, the fastest, most reliable high-speed Wi-Fi in the sky*. Over the last 10 months, the airline has flown more than 7 million passengers on Starlink-equipped aircraft across more than 129,000 flights, powering 3.7 million devices – and Wi-Fi customer satisfaction scores on those airplanes nearly doubled during that time.
Today, more than 25% of United's daily departures – 1,200 flights – have Starlink Wi-Fi. The airline expects to equip more than 500 mainline aircraft with Starlink Wi-Fi by the end of 2026, bringing the total number of Starlink-equipped planes across its fleet to more than 800.
United is marking this milestone during the Big Game on February 8 with a new broadcast film that brings to life how Starlink redefines the onboard Wi-Fi experience. The creative draws inspiration from space travel, as customers onboard a United flight watch live sports, play online games, check in on their home security cameras and more – all things that historically haven't been possible with traditional inflight satellite Wi-Fi. The voiceover, which has a tone that mimics a conversation between ground control and the cockpit, underscores the transformation: "It's Wi-Fi that actually works? That's one giant leap for inflight Wi-Fi."
"We are focused on what we call 'travel truths' in our advertising, so with this spot we wanted to recognize the truly giant leap Starlink Wi-Fi represents for our customers and what is now possible. Starlink is transforming the inflight experience on United planes with reliable connectivity that enables everything from productivity to streaming the biggest football game of the season," said Maggie Schmerin, United's Chief Advertising Officer.
The ad will air in local markets including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis and Kansas City – all cities where United's Starlink-equipped regional aircraft fly. And in many of these cities, more than half of United flights operating there have Starlink Wi-Fi onboard. For example, in Indianapolis, more than 63% of United flights are equipped with Starlink, in Kansas City it's more than 53% and in Cincinnati it's more than 51%.
"United customers are loving the new Wi-Fi experience onboard our Starlink-equipped aircraft," said United's VP of Digital Technology, Grant Milstead. "We're rolling out Starlink at an unprecedented speed and scale, and our milestone for our regional fleet is just the beginning – with more than 500 mainline aircraft expected to be equipped by the end of 2026. This is all part of our commitment to bring this innovative service to our entire fleet."
United's customer satisfaction scores for inflight Wi-Fi have nearly doubled on aircraft equipped with Starlink, with travelers specifically calling out benefits like gate-to-gate connectivity, reliable service and onboard streaming.
This year, United plans to accelerate the Starlink roll out to its mainline feet, adding seamless, gate-to-gate connectivity to hundreds more planes. In collaboration with Starlink, the airline will seek FAA approval for installation and safe, reliable operation of the new system on more than a dozen different aircraft models, including the Boeing 737-900ER, the Airbus 321 family and Boeing 777s.
For more information, visit united.com/starlink.
*Based on independent Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data from Q4 2023. "High-Speed" defined as median download speeds above 100 Mbps per same.
About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines