Starlink beats ticket price for United passengers

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told the Cheeky Pint podcast on Tuesday that Starlink, behind flight schedules, is now the most important factor for customers choosing which airline to fly.

“I think Starlink, behind the schedule, is the most important thing for customers to choose an airline now.”

United leads US rollout of Starlink

United was one of the first airlines to sign up for Starlink in two thousand twenty-four and has since equipped almost half of its planes with the high-speed WiFi service from Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Passengers choosing flights for Starlink access

Starlink is on all United's regional airplanes operated under the United Express brand, but on less than three percent of its wide-body jets that fly long-haul routes.

United poaches Delta and American customers

This month United ran a promotion offering to match travelers' loyalty status on Delta or American, advertising the fastest WiFi in the sky.

Starlink advantage won't last forever

Kirby called Starlink the biggest competitive advantage but said it won't last. Everybody eventually is going to have high-speed, low Earth orbit, and it will become a must-have for all airlines.

“Everybody eventually is going to have high-speed, low Earth orbit. It's going to be a must-have.”