United Airlines resolves Starlink Wi-Fi issues on regional jets

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Global Industry News

United Airlines resolves Starlink Wi-Fi issues on regional jets

Research

Zach Griff Senior reporter | The Points Guy

By Sky Industry News

Jul 17, 2025

United Airlines has addressed the issue that caused the airline to disable its new Starlink Wi-Fi systems on regional jets last month. This resolution is positive news for passengers who anticipate using United's fastest inflight internet, which is complimentary for MileagePlus members.

In early June, The Points Guy (TPG) reported that United had to switch off its Starlink service due to pilots experiencing static interference on communication channels with air traffic control. This problem arose on some of the initial United Express jets equipped with the Wi-Fi upgrade.

The airline faced an unexpected challenge during its ambitious rollout of the high-tech internet service, which United had expedited. However, as stated by Toby Enqvist, United's chief operations officer, "the problem has pretty much been resolved."

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Enqvist further assured that similar delays are not expected for larger planes. He explained that the antennas used by Starlink and those on the flight deck were too close together on smaller regional jets initially receiving the new service. "They worked around that ... and we think that the issue's behind us," he added. For other fleet types with larger aircraft, this problem should not recur.

Currently, 60 of United's planes are flying with the new Starlink service, enhancing chances for passengers on United Express regional flights to access fast and free connectivity.

A trial of the Starlink service during a special media flight in May revealed it was high-quality enough to support various inflight activities such as streaming sports games or videos and working simultaneously.

Last year, United announced plans to update its entire fleet with this new service, joining a trend among airlines toward providing higher-quality (and free) inflight Wi-Fi.