The interior of a 787 Dreamliner at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, on December 13, 2022. - Betting on robust demand for international travel, United Airlines on Tuesday unveiled an order of 100 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners with options for an additional 100 jets. (Photo : LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
This Friday, Starlink and United Airlines are officially business partners.
According to Yahoo Finance, United Airlines will be implementing Elon Musk's company as its in-flight internet service. Early 2025 will be the target date for service test, although trials with passenger flights can happen later that year. With this deal, Starlink will be providing free internet in the next few years to over 1,000 aircrafts.
Competition-wise, it's not the first time Starlink lent their services to an airline, considering that the SpaceX sub-unit has been trying to expand beyond common households and consumers.
Currently, Starlink has been available in multiple rural areas across the world, with a goal to provide "accesible internet."
In a press release shared by PR Newswire, United Airlines passengers will also be able to enjoy e-commerce activities, live tv, gaming, and streaming services in a gate-to-gate manner. Alongside personal devices, the said connectivity will be integrated in seatback screens with no additional costs.
Besides passengers, staff of United Airlines will be able to access stronger internet connections even during flight disruptions, such as natural disasters or power blackout, and remote locations.
In the same report, CEO Scott Kirby welcomes Starlink into their new connectivity era that will provide everyone on flight the same internet speed they receive on ground. Starlink COO Gwynne Shotwell reciprocated the sentiment and calls it a leap forward in uninterrupted in-flight internet access.