Exclusive: United shuts down Starlink Wi-Fi on regional jets
United’s big Starlink Wi-Fi rollout just hit some turbulence.
Many of the initial regional jets already outfitted with Starlink satellites have seen the service turned off due to radio interference, TPG can exclusively report.
So far, United has installed Starlink on nearly two dozen Embraer E175 regional jet aircraft — and over the past few days, all of the flights operated by these jets have operated without internet connectivity.
As for why these planes are offline, the airline has received reports of radio interference between the VHF antennas that pilots use to communicate with air traffic controllers and the Starlink antennas.
Specifically, pilots have been reporting static on the radio lines after completing radio transmissions on aircraft equipped with the new Starlink antennas.
Out of an abundance of caution, United has turned off all Starlink connectivity across its fleet and has since been working with Starlink on a fix.
In a statement confirming TPG’s exclusive report, a United spokesperson shared that “Starlink is now installed on about two dozen United regional aircraft. United and Starlink teams are working together to address a small number of reports of static interference during the operation of the Wi-Fi system, which is fairly common with any new airline Wi-Fi provider. We expect the service to be back up and running on these aircraft soon.”
This type of radio interference is not uncommon when rolling out new connectivity solutions onboard aircraft, according to United. The airline also reiterated that this interference does not pose a safety of flight issue.
In fact, back when United launched Viasat connectivity on a portion of its mainline fleet, it also experienced a similar type of interference that required a fast fix.
The good news is that United and Starlink have already identified a solution for the radio interference, and they’re actively working to roll it out across the affected aircraft.
So far, about a third of affected planes have received the fix and are once again flying with high-speed satellite Wi-Fi, while the remaining planes will be reconnected after the fix is applied.
United will not be pulling planes out of service to apply these fixes; instead, it will wait until the affected planes rotate through regularly scheduled maintenance visits to apply the changes. (This way, United won’t need to cancel any flights to fix the interference issue.)
United is currently planning to have Starlink reenabled on affected aircraft over the next few weeks, but note that this timeline could slip. Of course, this outage will affect hundreds of summertime flyers who might have been excited about trying Starlink on United.
So far, United has exclusively installed Starlink on the Embraer E175 regional jet, and this interference issue is not slowing down the carrier’s planned rollout.
The airline will reconfigure 40 more E175 jets this month, and it’ll then begin doing the same across its CRJ-550 regional jets in the coming weeks.
The airline still plans to have its entire fleet of dual-class United Express regional jets (the CRJ-550 and E175 family of planes) fully reconfigured by the end of the year.
Last fall, United announced that it would retrofit its entire fleet with high-speed Starlink connectivity. And the best part — connectivity would be free. All you would need is a MileagePlus account to access the internet on as many devices as you can carry on board.
Related: Inside United Airlines' plan to bring free Starlink Wi-Fi to every flight
In mid-May, United flew its first revenue flights with Starlink, just nine months since it first made the bombshell announcement that it would offer one of the best satellite internet solutions aboard its entire fleet.
So hopefully this interference issue is simply a small bump in the road for the Starlink installations, because United’s existing Wi-Fi solutions are overdue for a big upgrade.
Related reading:
- United Airlines MileagePlus: Guide to earning and redeeming miles, elite status and more
- The best credit cards for United Airlines flyers
- United Premier status: How to earn it — and is it worth it?
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- United basic economy: What you need to know about bags, seats, boarding and more
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
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Cons
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- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.