United Airlines Launches Starlink Wi-Fi on First-Ever Transatlantic Flight

United’s first Starlink-equipped wide-body jet crossed the Atlantic on Monday, delivering free, broadband-speed Wi-Fi to long-haul flyers for the first time on a U.S. carrier’s transatlantic route.

United Airlines became the first U.S. carrier to fly a Starlink-equipped wide-body jet across the Atlantic, launching free, broadband-speed Wi-Fi on a flight from Newark to London on Monday night.

Flight UA14 departed Newark Liberty International Airport at 7:05 p.m. Monday bound for London’s Heathrow Airport, landing at 7:15 a.m. local time Tuesday. The Boeing 777-200, registration N37018, is the first of United’s wide-body jets fitted with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system.

Until Monday, Starlink had been available only on United’s narrow-body and regional aircraft. The airline’s transatlantic routes had relied on older geostationary satellite systems orbiting about 22,000 miles above Earth, producing latency of 600 milliseconds or more — too slow for video calls or live streaming. Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit satellites circle just 210 to 350 miles up, cutting that lag to between 20 and 40 milliseconds and delivering download speeds of 100 to 350 megabits per second per aircraft, comparable to home broadband.

United is the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles and operates more routes across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans than any other carrier, the airline said. It serves 46 transatlantic cities — more than any other U.S. airline — with nearly 3,000 weekly international round trips to more than 150 destinations this summer.

“United is changing what it means to stay connected on an overseas flight,” David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer, said in a statement. “Starlink offers the same fast, reliable internet access and connectivity we’re all used to at home, delivered in the air at 35,000 feet, flying anywhere around the world. This technology has the potential to transform how we think about the inflight experience for both our customers and our employees.”

Ankit Gupta, United’s chief air operations officer, said the rapid pace of the rollout reflects the airline’s partnership with Starlink.

“Our ability to deploy Starlink Wi-Fi across our fleet at this speed and scale is a testament to the expertise of our team and the strength of our collaboration with Starlink,” Gupta said in the statement. “Together, we’ve built a highly efficient installation program that is transforming the onboard experience for our customers. With Starlink expected on close to 1,000 aircraft by year-end, we’re moving quickly to bring fast, reliable connectivity to more travelers than ever before.”

More than 400 United aircraft now carry Starlink, and the airline expects to reach close to 1,000 by the end of the year. Nearly 60 wide-body jets are scheduled to receive the technology in 2026, with United aiming to outfit its entire wide-body fleet by the summer of 2027.

Since United began rolling out Starlink last spring, more than 18.6 million passengers have connected to the service across more than 311,000 flights, powering 9.9 million devices, the airline said. Customer satisfaction with Wi-Fi on Starlink-equipped aircraft has nearly doubled since the service launched.

Wide-body jets equipped with Starlink are expected on routes linking United’s hub airports — Newark, Washington Dulles International Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and San Francisco International Airport — with destinations including London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo.

N37018, the Boeing 777-200 that flew Monday’s flight, entered service in April 2002 with Continental Airlines. It is configured with 276 seats across four cabins: 50 Polaris business-class seats, 24 Premium Plus seats, 46 Economy Plus seats, and 156 economy seats. The jet is one of United’s older wide-body aircraft.

Starlink access is free for members of United’s MileagePlus loyalty program, which costs nothing to join. Passengers who are not yet members can sign up before or during their flight. Wi-Fi on United flights without Starlink starts at $8 per flight for MileagePlus members on domestic routes, or $10 for nonmembers, and ranges from $20 to $35 on international routes using older systems.

No other major U.S. airline currently offers Starlink on transatlantic wide-body flights. American Airlines announced May 26 plans to install Starlink on more than 500 narrowbody Airbus aircraft, with installation beginning in the first quarter of 2027, but it has not yet launched the service. Delta Air Lines has not signed a Starlink deal. In April, Delta announced an agreement with Amazon’s Kuiper satellite network covering 500 aircraft, with installations planned to begin in 2028.

United and SpaceX announced their partnership in September 2024 — one of the largest inflight connectivity agreements ever signed — covering more than 1,000 aircraft. The airline’s first Starlink flight, an Embraer 175 regional jet, took off in May 2025, after the Federal Aviation Administration certified the aircraft type that March. United operated its first mainline Starlink flight, a Boeing 737-800 traveling from Newark to Houston, in October 2025.

Each aircraft type requires its own FAA supplemental type certificate before Starlink can be installed, a process that includes design review, installation and testing. United needs separate certification for each of its more than 16 aircraft models.

United operates one of the largest wide-body fleets among U.S. carriers, including Boeing 767-300ERs, 767-400ERs, 777-200s, 777-200ERs, 777-300ERs, and 787 Dreamliners, totaling about 229 aircraft. The airline is taking delivery of roughly 20 Boeing 787s this year, its largest annual wide-body intake since 1988.

United was the launch customer for the Boeing 777, taking delivery of its first jet on May 15, 1995.