If you are flying United over the holidays, your odds of getting fast, free Wi-Fi just tipped in your favour. Starlink Wi-Fi is now on more than half of United’s daily flights, the airline said on November 12, 2026, and it expects to have Starlink on nearly 64% of daily flights by the end of the year.
United pushed installations harder in the run-up to Thanksgiving and says the whole fleet should be done by the end of 2027. The service is free for MileagePlus members, and a flight checker shows whether a specific departure has it up to three days ahead.
How Many United Flights Have Starlink Now?
As of November 12, Starlink is live on more than half of United’s daily flights. That is a big jump in under a year. In February 2026, United had Starlink on more than 300 regional aircraft, covering just over 25% of daily departures, or about 1,200 flights.
By mid-October, the count had reached more than 635 aircraft and nearly half of daily departures, with crews fitting about 20 aircraft a week. At that point United said more than 250,000 customers a day were flying on a Starlink-equipped plane, and 37.7 million passengers had flown on more than 538,000 Starlink flights since the rollout began.
The regional jets went first. United is now working through its long-haul widebody fleet, the aircraft that fly its transatlantic and transpacific routes.
Starlink on Nearly 64% of United Flights by the End of 2026
The year-end forecast has edged up. With its third-quarter results on October 20, United said it expected Starlink availability to reach 61% by the end of 2026 and 87% by June 1, 2027. Three weeks later, the target for the end of this year stands at nearly 64%.
The same October update put Starlink on more than 640 aircraft, with roughly three more being fitted each day. More than 5.4 million United customers flew with Starlink in September, and customer service scores on Starlink planes were nearly double those on aircraft with other Wi-Fi.
Is United’s Starlink Wi-Fi Free?
Yes, for MileagePlus members. Starlink is free for MileagePlus members in every class of service, so joining the free loyalty programme before you fly is enough to use it.
Passengers can stream on more than one device at once. On aircraft with Starlink-enabled seatback screens, a deal with DISH brings live professional and college football to the screens and to personal devices, and travellers can link their own Spotify account to the seatback screen.
How To Check if Your United Flight Has Starlink
United’s Starlink Wi-Fi tracker lets you check a specific flight up to three days before departure. You enter the travel date and flight number, and the result updates in real time if the aircraft is swapped at the last minute.
The tracker also shows daily totals, splits installed aircraft into regional, narrowbody and widebody, and gives the share of Starlink flights at United’s hubs in Chicago, Newark, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and Denver. Anyone booked on United’s daily Glasgow to New York area service can use the same tool to check their transatlantic flight.
Why United Sped Up Before Thanksgiving
The timing lines up with the busiest stretch of United’s autumn. The airline expects more than 6.6 million customers over its Thanksgiving period, which runs November 19 to December 1, 2026. That averages more than 500,000 customers a day on more than 4,800 daily flights.
Friday, November 20, should be the busiest day before the holiday, with more than 540,000 customers. Travel is expected to peak on Sunday, November 29, at around 600,000.
How United’s Starlink Plan Compares With Rivals
United has used Starlink as a selling point against Delta and American. In a CNBC interview on October 21, chief executive Scott Kirby said United would cross 50% of flights on Starlink that week. “We already see customers moving from other airlines today,” Kirby said, though he called the evidence “mostly anecdotal today.”
He was cautious about the financial payoff. Asked whether Starlink would get United to double-digit margins, Kirby said: “Is it going to be enough to get us to double-digit margins? I don’t know. It’s going to be hard.”
Other US airlines are further behind:
- American Airlines plans to put Starlink on every mainline jet starting in early 2027.
- Southwest Airlines says its entire fleet will have Starlink by fall 2027. Its installs are already under way, with the Southwest Starlink Wi-Fi rollout passing 47 planes.
- Delta Air Lines passed on Starlink and plans to fit Amazon Leo to an initial 500 aircraft starting in 2028.
Alaska and Hawaiian are upgrading too, with details in better Wi-Fi on Alaska and Hawaiian flights. For how far Starlink now reaches into airlines and travel more widely, see Starlink’s travel industry reach in the SpaceX filing.
What Happens Next for United’s Starlink Rollout?
The next checkpoints are nearly 64% of daily flights by December 31, 2026, and 87% by June 1, 2027, with installations finished across the fleet by the end of 2027. At the October pace of about three aircraft a day, the remaining work is concentrated on mainline jets and the long-haul widebody fleet.
FAQ
When Did United Fly Its First Starlink Flight?
United signed its Starlink deal with SpaceX in September 2024 and flew its first Starlink customer flight in May 2025 on a United Express Embraer 175. The first mainline jet with Starlink, a Boeing 737-800, flew Newark to Houston in October 2025.
Can You Watch Live Football on United’s Starlink Flights?
Yes, on aircraft with Starlink-enabled seatback screens. United’s agreement with DISH carries live broadcasts from all networks that show NFL games, plus college football, on the seatback screens and on passengers’ own devices.
