Southwest Airlines says it will put Starlink on its entire fleet and finish by fall 2027, which it expects will make it the first major U.S. airline to complete a fleetwide rollout. The plan came Oct. 15 in a Rapid Rewards announcement, the same day United said Starlink is on nearly half its daily departures and launched a Starlink Tracker so travellers can check their flight.
We already have @Starlink on more planes than any other airline in the world, which means nearly half of our daily U.S. departures have it. And it's free for MileagePlus members. Use our new our tracker to see if your next flight has Starlink *and* follow along to watch our pic.x.com/bnjMDZo84U
— United Airlines (@united) October 15, 2026Southwest Goes Fleetwide
Southwest’s release says it is “bringing the fastest WiFi in the sky, powered by Starlink, to its entire fleet,” with access “from takeoff to landing.” Wi-Fi stays free for Rapid Rewards members through its T-Mobile sponsorship. The Starlink news sat inside a broader loyalty overhaul taking effect in 2027, including new Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers and Southwest Icon lounges.
The release gives no interim numbers. Southwest’s first Starlink jet entered service on June 22, flying Dallas to Albuquerque. Tony Roach, Southwest’s chief customer and brand officer, told AirlineGeeks on Oct. 15 that 47 aircraft are now connected. AirlineGeeks says the airline set a target earlier this year of more than 300 by the end of 2026. PCMag reports that Viasat runs much of its current connectivity. Elon Musk posted: “Southwest Airlines going all-in with @Starlink!”
How to Check Your Flight
The tracker lives at StarlinkTracker.United.com. Enter your travel date and flight number within three days of departure, and it tells you whether the aircraft scheduled for that flight has Starlink. United says results update in real time for last-minute aircraft swaps, though aircraft assignments are typically confirmed only within 24 hours of departure and can still change.
The site also tracks the rollout itself, with stats updated daily. You can see how many United aircraft and daily departures have Starlink, how many regional, narrowbody and widebody planes are equipped, and what share of flights have it at United’s hubs in Chicago, Newark, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and Denver.
Where the Rollout Stands
By United’s count, Starlink is now active on more than 635 mainline and United Express aircraft, covering more than 2,500 flights a day. On an average day, more than 250,000 United customers fly on a Starlink-equipped plane. United is installing about 20 aircraft a week and plans to finish the fleet by the end of 2027.
The airline says it has flown more than 37.7 million passengers on Starlink aircraft across more than 538,000 flights, connecting 14 million devices. It also says it has more Starlink-equipped planes than any other airline in the world.
Starlink gives customers even more reasons to choose United and keep coming back. … Our new tracker makes it easier for customers to see which flights they can experience it on as we quickly expand Starlink across our fleet.
Andrew Nocella, United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
The Status Match, Extended
United’s “Switch to Better Wi-Fi” offer launched Oct. 1 and now runs an extra week, to Oct. 22. It lets eligible Delta SkyMiles and American AAdvantage members earn United Premier status through January 2028 by meeting spending requirements and taking a United or United Express flight within 90 days. The thresholds are $1,500 for Premier Silver, $3,000 for Gold, $4,500 for Platinum and $7,000 for 1K. Full terms are at united.com/switchtobetterwifi.
United says status-match applications are 275% above pre-campaign levels, led by New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Race With American and Southwest
The offer targets American flyers just a week after American said it will put Starlink on its entire mainline fleet of more than 1,030 jets, with installs starting in early 2027. Southwest now targets fall 2027 for its whole fleet, and United end-2027. United’s head start is the pitch: roughly half its flights have Starlink today, and the tracker lets you see which ones. For how the satellites behind those connections are changing, see our Starlink V3 explainer.
