Last week, United Airlines signed a deal with SpaceX in “the industry’s largest agreement of its kind.”
The deal will bring Starlink’s Wi-Fi to the airline’s mainline and regional aircraft fleet and will be free for passengers to enjoy.
Highlighting the range of experiences this will open up for passengers, the press release noted:
- Live streaming: access personal streaming services and watch live TV, shows and movies without buffering, lag or the need to download content in advance.
- Workplace productivity: download/upload documents and edit shared files in real-time.
- Gaming: play live games and follow along on live gaming streaming services.
- E-Commerce: shop online, schedule grocery delivery and make restaurant and travel reservations all from the comfort of your seat.
- Multiple devices: connect multiple devices at once, under one user.
- Live support with the United app: download the United app while inflight to get real-time info about connections and access customer support from a real agent through Agent on Demand.
Talking on this change, United’s CEO Scott Kirby said:
“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. This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalised. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.”
Testing for this new level of connectivity will start in 2025 as United strives to elevate the customer experience onboard.
In October, Sameer Shaikh, United Airlines will be discussing how airlines can deliver a digital experience like that experienced at home at World Aviation Festival. Book your ticket now to join the conversation!
For more like this see:
- The scale of Delta’s free Wi-Fi roll out is “unmatched”
- American Airlines use new tech to expand high-speed Wi-Fi
- Qatar Airways becomes the largest airline to collaborate with Starlink
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