United says Starlink Wi-Fi is now on more than half of its daily flights as of November 12, 2026, just ahead of Thanksgiving travel. The airline expects Starlink on nearly 64% of its daily flights by the end of 2026, and it expects to complete installations by the end of 2027.
That matters if you're flying United over the holiday, because Starlink is free for MileagePlus members and United has a tool that shows whether your flight has it. Here's what United announced, how to check your flight, and what else the airline says is new for the busy weeks ahead.
What United Announced
United announced the milestone on November 12, 2026, calling Starlink the fastest, most reliable inflight Wi-Fi and saying it arrives in time for the start of the holiday travel season. The rollout has three markers: more than half of daily flights as of November 12, an expected nearly 64% by the end of 2026 and installations United expects to complete by the end of 2027.
How to Check If Your Flight Has Starlink
United says you can use its Starlink Wi-Fi tracker to check whether an upcoming flight is equipped with the service up to three days before departure. Since the rollout isn't finished, that's how you find out before you board.
Starlink is free for MileagePlus members. United says it lets customers stay connected across multiple devices for the whole flight. The airline's own examples include streaming football games and Thanksgiving Day parades, placing a last-minute grocery delivery order and shopping Black Friday sales.
What You Can Do Onboard
United points to two partnerships that run on Starlink-enabled seatback screens. Through its collaboration with DISH, you can stream college and professional football games live on the seatback screen and on your own devices at the same time. You can also pair your own Spotify account to the seatback screen and pick up your content where you left off. Our story on how United's Spotify logins work on Starlink screens has the details.
United also says it offers more than 2,500 hours of premium entertainment onboard, including content from Apple TV, HBO Max, A24, Peacock and Spotify. It says up to 1,000 aircraft are expected to have seatback screens before the end of 2027, and that it's rolling out new airplanes with 27-inch, 4K OLED seatback screens, which it describes as the largest among U.S. carriers.
The Thanksgiving Numbers
United defines the Thanksgiving holiday travel period as November 19 through December 1, 2026. It expects more than 6.6 million customers over that stretch.
From November 19 to December 1, United expects to fly an average of more than 500,000 customers a day on more than 4,800 daily flights. It expects Friday, November 20, to be the busiest travel day ahead of the holiday, with more than 540,000 customers. Travel is expected to peak on Sunday, November 29, with around 600,000 customers.
Other Holiday Changes United Highlighted
The release also covers tools and food changes beyond Wi-Fi:
- The United app: United says the app can save travelers up to 30 minutes at the airport, with features like Virtual Gate for real-time boarding progress, real-time bag tracking, automatic rebooking and airport navigation. It also gives United Club location recommendations based on your departure gate and available capacity at U.S. hub airports.
- ConnectionSaver: United says the technology scans flights for customers with tight connections and holds eligible planes at the gate a few minutes longer when it can be done without inconveniencing others.
- Preorders in United Economy: United lowered its fresh food preorder line to flights over 900 miles across North America and the Caribbean, which it says opened preorders on about 420 more flights a day and gives up to 65,000 more customers a day access. Preordered meals may not be available in every situation.
- Snackboxes and drinks: United refreshed its Tapas, Takeoff and Recline snackboxes, added a limited-time Wishes snackbox with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and brought back Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry and its Sleigh Bell Spritz on select flights.
- United Polaris menus: New dishes come from chefs including Nancy Silverton, David Barzelay and Tomos Parry through United's Chef's Table program.
United's Chief Customer Officer, David Kinzelman, said the airline is "focused on giving customers the tools and information they need to make every step of their journey easier and more enjoyable, especially during the busy holiday season."
What This Means for Your Trip
If you're flying United between November 19 and December 1, check United's Starlink tracker, which covers flights up to three days before departure, and download the app before you leave for the airport. With Starlink on more than half of daily flights, some flights still won't have it, so the tracker is the thing to look at before you plan to work or stream.
For how United's Starlink rollout got here, see our report on United's Starlink Wi-Fi coming back on track. For how Wi-Fi compares across airlines, our airline Wi-Fi guide covers where Starlink is live.
