United finally made it easier to see if your flight has Starlink

United Airlines' tracker shows it has Starlink on less than 3% of its wide-body airplanes. Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images United Airlines released a tool to track which airplanes have Starlink. You can enter your flight number up to 3 days before departure and check for last-minute changes. It also shows that about 43% of United's fleet is equipped with the service. If you're flying with United Airlines to capitalize on Starlink, it's now much easier to know whether your flight will include the fast, free internet service. The airline released a tool on Thursday called the Starlink WiFi Tracker. You can enter your flight number up to 3 days before departure to check its Starlink availability. This isn't infallible, though, as the airline might switch which plane it uses for your flight. However, United says the tool includes updates made in real time for such last-minute changes. United already used texts, emails, and its app to notify passengers if their flight was scheduled to have Starlink, but the new tool lets you check for last-minute changes. It also tracks the progress of Starlink installation across the fleet. As of Thursday morning, 639 aircraft, or about 43% of United's fleet, are equipped with the service. That includes all of its regional airplanes, operated under the United Express brand, and about a third of its other narrow-body airplanes — like the Airbus A321 and Boeing 737. However, Starlink is only on six of its 248 wide-body airplanes, which operate long-haul flights. United said it is installing Starlink on about 20 aircraft a week and plans to complete installations by the end of 2027. Its tool also shows the percentage of daily flights departing from each of its seven hubs that are equipped with Starlink. Chicago O'Hare leads the way at 54%, with San Francisco's 36% at the bottom. Nearly half the airline's daily departures are equipped with Starlink, United said. Starlink has become a notable advantage for United since its main rivals don't have it. American Airlines plans to install Starlink starting next year, while Delta Air Lines has tapped Amazon Leo. United is trying to win over new customers by launching an offer that matches travelers' loyalty status on Delta or American. The offer said, "Don't keep buffering: switch to United and get the fastest WiFi in the sky." Thousands of customers have signed up within two weeks, United said. It added that status match applications are up 275% compared to before this campaign. And now, it's also extending the offer for another week. Read the original article on Business Insider

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