United Gets FAA Approval for Starlink and Sets Date for Its Debut on Flights

seUnited Airlines has been approved to begin operating flights with onboard Starlink satellite internet service. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the airline a certificate to operate the service on its fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft, with United expecting to install the SpaceX service on all 300 of the regional jets by the end of the year. Starlink will be a free service for UnitedPlus members, which is essentially all passengers as the loyalty program is free to join. United and Starlink announced last year that the airline would outfit its entire fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft with Starlink in the next few years. SpaceX has been on something of a tear recently, signing deals with numerous partners to offer Starlink beyond rural households, including partnering with T-Mobile and cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean. Beyond United, it has also signed deals to offer in-flight WiFi with Hawaiian and private jet operator JSX. The service is not expected to work well in dense ... Read full article.