United set for May 15 Starlink debut on some planes. We tried it out — and, wow: It's fast.
The date is set: United Airlines' first planes sporting its free Starlink-powered Wi-Fi will hit the skies on May 15, the carrier announced Thursday.
I had a chance to try it out, and can already attest — It's every bit as fast as advertised.
Next week, travelers on a few relatively ordinary regional flights will be the first to experience the new internet connectivity.
Up first: United Express service next Thursday from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport (DTW), TPG confirmed.
Later that day, Starlink-connected regional jets will pay visits to Nashville and Charlottesville, Virginia, on routes to and from O'Hare.
And then, those jets equipped with the new tech will make their way to other cities in the following days and weeks.
This much-anticipated debut will come roughly eight months after United first announced it would add the high-speed, satellite-powered connectivity to its fleet.
The fast internet service will be free for flyers who have a MileagePlus loyalty number to their name, and travelers on board those connected jets will be allowed to connect as many of their devices as they'd like.
"This internet is fast. It's going to feel like nothing you've ever experienced in the skies before," Grant Milstead, United vice president of digital technology, said Thursday. "It's faster than the internet at my house."
What to expect with United's new Starlink service
I was among a small handful of media invited to try out the new Starlink service Thursday on a flight that departed (and then returned to) O'Hare, operated by United's regional partner SkyWest.
Preflight
Customers will know they're on a Starlink-connected plane once they get an email the day before departure, like the one I received about 24 hours before my flight.
They also won't be able to miss the decal next to the boarding door on planes outfitted with the new service, like this Embraer 175.
Connecting
Once on board, connecting was easy. I started by whipping out my phone and selecting the Unitedwifi.com network, which took me to a landing page.
Once I clicked "get started," the system jumped me right to the United mobile app already installed on my phone, instantly verifying that I'm a MileagePlus member. I clicked "connect," watched a short advertisement, and then I was in business.
Logging on my other devices was easier: A QR code on my iPad (and then my laptop) popped up. I scanned it with my phone, and then those devices were online, too.
"We want you to start the experience as soon as you sit down, and the experience will end at your destination when you're ready to stand up. No waiting for that ding at 10,000 feet," Milstead explained at a preflight briefing.
How fast is it?
United certainly isn't exaggerating on the speed of the service: I was able to simultaneously watch a live news feed about the selection of a new Pope on one device, and stream a live Major League Baseball game on another.
I ran a speed test, and it clocked the Wi-Fi at 217 Mbps of download speed, and 26.8 Mbps of upload speed.
On this special media flight, I was even able to successfully join a Zoom meeting with a colleague and, for good measure, FaceTimed in TPG's Clint Henderson from 30,000 feet.
To be clear: that won't be allowed on real-life United flights.
As part of the Starlink log-in process, United reminds customers about a few rules, which include no phone or video calls.
"We're going to expect our customers to use headphones when they're listening to content," Milstead added. "And we're going to ask them to look at appropriate content."
Ambitious rollout planned
As TPG's Zach Griff saw firsthand earlier this year, United can retrofit its planes with the new internet service quickly. Once they ramp up, United officials told me, they can add it with overnight maintenance.
Starlink is starting with the regional fleet of United Express jets, and the airline expects all of its two-cabin regional planes to have the free Wi-Fi by the end of this year.
At least one larger, mainline United plane will get the service before 2025 is over, executives said Thursday.
A growing industry trend
United followed in the footsteps of rival Delta Air Lines in announcing fast, free Wi-Fi for its entire fleet — though the Chicago-based carrier believes its Starlink service will be superior in the eyes of customers.
And, it helped solidify an industry trend toward free connectivity that no doubt helped fuel American Airlines' recent decision to shift its Wi-Fi service to complimentary by next year.
"There's a lot of free, there's a lot of fast out in the aviation industry," MileagePlus CEO Richard Nunn said of United's service Thursday. "But this is a different level."
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