United Airlines offers free Starlink wifi, but that rollout will continue through the end of next year. It’s the best wifi in the sky, and in my experience it’s even better than what many people have it home. You just need to be a MileagePlus member, or join.
Officially wifi on non-Starlink aircraft, wifi is still $8 for members or $10 without joining. However it appears that their ViaSat wifi-equipped planes are now offering free wifi as well. United hasn’t announced this, but it’s confirmed broadly by passengers inflight. Update: This was a glitch and United still means to charge.
United uses ViaSat on 737 MAX and many Airbus narrowbody aircraft. It’s the same service offered by American Airlines and Delta where wifi is free (and somewhat degraded compared to when it was a paid service, but still more functional than free wifi on the majority of Southwest planes – and better than on United’s planes that do not use either ViaSat or Starlink).
While United will soon have better inflight wifi than anyone else (and Delta’s plan for fast wifi doesn’t even begin until after United finishes, and then only for half its fleet), American, JetBlue and Delta are ahead on free so this move appears to help them catch up there. Free wifi has become a baseline product feature.
About freakin’ time. Charging $8 or 800 points for WiFi in 2026 is insulting. All airlines should include free, reliable WiFi for all passengers. In the US, JetBlue and Delta lead the way, American finally followed, and now United is starting to get it. If it works on my next flight, I’ll toast you with my next stroopwaffle.
Experienced this yesterday on a Max 9 with Viasat as well as on a -200ER (PW) with Panasonic – free WiFi does not seem to be limited to Viasat fleets in this rollout.
@S — Was that the high-density 772 with rear-facing 2-4-2 seat-config. up-front?
@ Gary — Good to see United with yet another win over Delta.
This will be nice especially considering 99% of United’s Express fleet (175s and CRJ 550’s) already have free, high speed Starlink WiFi, today. For customers that don’t have T-Mobile, connecting onto a mainline flight and still keeping free WiFi (though not high speed Starlink, but ViaSat) will be nice for the meantime while Starlink rolls out on mainline.
Just curious why United never announced it!
It’s interesting how free inflight Wi-Fi is quickly becoming a standard expectation rather than a premium feature. The easier it is for passengers to stay connected, the more it influences how they spend their time and engage online even during flights. This shift really highlights how important seamless digital access has become in shaping overall customer experience.
UNITED RISING
@1990 – the Polaris long-haul configured aircraft – was operating a TATL leg from EWR
When there are backend IT issues, United sometimes defaults to free wifi rather than block customers from accessing it.
How many people got it free today?
@1990
FOAD.
@S — Niiice.
@Hugh Jarce — Keep yourself safe!
I want everything for FREE.
I hate domestic UA 777 business class rear facing seats, and by god y’all are gonna support me on this.
I also need the rich to pay for everything, see my 1st point. “I’m poor, help me”
EU 261 in the USA, come on everybody sing it with me, EU 261 in the USA, …..
I know I even wear myself out sometimes.
@1991 minus one — Oh, you know better. The good folks in Europe still pay plenty for their flights; it’s about airlines having to fairly compensate affected passengers when the airlines fail to uphold their end of the bargain.