United Airlines Launches Live-Enabled Starlink Wi-Fi for Select Flights Ahead of FIFA World Cup

Right ahead of the globe’s biggest international sporting competition—the FIFA World Cup—passengers traveling on select United Airlines flights can now stream live entertainment mid-flight via Starlink Wi-Fi, made possible through a new partnership between the carrier and DirecTV.

Per an official announcement from United released this week, the new inflight experience, which includes access to a wide selection of live TV channels, will be available through July 20 on as many as 150 of the airline’s already upgraded Starlink-enabled aircraft.

“This technology has the transformative power to reshape how both our customers and our employees think about the inflight experience,” David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer, shared in a public statement.

Starlink, the low-orbit satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX, is offered completely free of charge to members of United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program. Members will receive an alert confirming Starlink availability for their trip before their flight departs.

United first rolled out Starlink connectivity to its commercial fleet in March 2025. To date, the airline has already outfitted 400 total aircraft with the technology, and it remains on track to hit a target of 1,000 Starlink-enabled planes by the end of the calendar year.

The service delivers consistently fast inflight Wi-Fi speeds, a perk powered by Starlink’s network of more than 10,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. Combined, this network makes up the largest operational satellite constellation in human history.