United Airlines has quietly disabled Starlink internet on about two dozen regional jets due to radio interference. The problem is fixable, but it marks a setback for United’s gradual rollout of free high-speed internet across its fleet.
United Airlines Forced To Turn Off Starlink Internet On Regional Jets Due To Radio Interference
As first noted by Zach Griff, radio interference has been reported with the simultaneous use of VHF antennas that pilots use to communicate with air traffic controllers and the Starlink antennas. This manifests itself in the form of static after completing radio transmissions.
As a precautionary measure, United has disabled Starlink internet on these aircraft, meaning if you’re flying one of the refurbished Embraer E175 regional jets, you may not have any internet onboard. Per United:
“Starlink is now installed on about two dozen United regional aircraft. United and Starlink teams are working together to address a small number of reports of static interference during the operation of the Wi-Fi system, which is fairly common with any new airline Wi-Fi provider. We expect the service to be back up and running on these aircraft soon.”
Soon is a vague term and it is not clear how long a fix will take, though United emphasizes, 1.) it is not an uncommon issue when rolling out new equipment and 2.) it does not pose a safety risk (Griff notes that United expreicned the same issue when rolling out Viasat connectivity in the mainline fleet). But I would not expect it to take long.
About 1/3 of the aircraft have already received the fix and are operating again with wi-fi internet available. The fixes will take place during routine maintenance so that the impacted aircraft do not have to be pulled out of service, resulting in flight cancellations.
This setback will not slow the overall timeline for Starlink rollout. Starlink will be installed on 40 more E175 jets this month, followed by installation on CRJ-550 regional jets thereafter. All two-cabin regional jets will be retrofitted with Starlink by the end of 2025 (over 300 aircraft). Starlink-equipped regional aircraft can expect Wi-Fi speeds up to 250 megabits per second (Mbps), which is 50 times faster than current regional aircraft speeds.
While a specific timeline has not been shared, United will eventually update its entire mainline fleet with Starlink, which will be offered for free to all MileagePlus members.
CONCLUSION
United has hit a bit of turbulence when it comes to its Starlink rollout, but thankfully, the fix is easy and already being rolled out. However, you may experience a flight without Wi-Fi on your E175 regional jet in the weeks ahead. The “fix” will not slow down the rollout of Starlink on more than 300 United regional jets by the end of 2025.
A couple of days ago, flew EWR-YOW on UA and did not have wi-fi, which was fine for me to disconnect and relax and stare at the haze from forest fires from my seat in 1A.
Will say though, the FAs went around with snack baskets twice and F and were proactive with drinks which was a nice touch.
President Musk to go on a rant about woke United Airlines in 3, 2, 1