United Says Starlink Gives It an Edge Delta Can’t Match

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says Starlink is doing more than improving inflight Wi-Fi: it is giving travelers a reason to switch airlines.

Speaking at Yahoo Finance Invest on November 12, Kirby called it “the biggest near-term competitive advantage that we’ve ever had in United’s 100-year history.”

He said United expects Starlink on 87% of its flights by June 1, 2027, with the rollout finished by the end of that year. He also said every flight at JFK will have Starlink when United begins service there.

Kirby’s argument is that customers will try United for the connection, then stay for its broader service and technology. That is the CEO’s competitive assessment, not an independently measured market-share gain. He acknowledged that rivals will eventually have competitive products, while criticizing Delta’s choice of Amazon Leo.

More than half of United flights now have Starlink

United separately confirmed on November 12 that Starlink is available on more than half of its daily flights. Its next milestone is nearly 64% by the end of 2026, before completing installations in 2027. These percentages refer to flights, not the share of aircraft fitted with equipment.

For passengers, availability still depends on the flight. United says its Starlink tracker lets travelers check whether their departure is equipped up to three days in advance. The service is free for MileagePlus members and supports multiple devices throughout the flight.

The airline is also using the connection for more than personal-device browsing. On Starlink-enabled seatback screens, customers can pair their Spotify accounts and watch live football, with streaming also available on their own devices.

Why United accelerated the rollout

The latest comments build on United’s push to install Starlink on about three aircraft a day. In October, Kirby described how passenger feedback helped turn a more limited deployment into a full-fleet plan. He also outlined an ambition to make Los Angeles the first United hub with Starlink on every flight in the first half of 2027.

That expansion followed FAA certification for United’s first Starlink-equipped mainline aircraft in September 2025, bringing the service beyond its initial regional rollout. The shift matters because a useful onboard connection becomes a stronger selling point as passengers can count on finding it across more of an airline’s network.

Would guaranteed Starlink Wi-Fi make you choose United over another airline?

Image: United Airlines