The quality of inflight Wi-Fi and internet access with most airlines is rather hit and miss, and it is no different with United Airlines’ inflight Wi-Fi. However, United and other airlines are working hard on improving their inflight Wi-Fi service, not least because it can be very lucrative for them.
Like most other airlines, United Airlines has been upgrading its fleet to offer Wi-Fi on all aircraft. However, this takes time as it is not just a matter of fitting a Wi-Fi hub, as you might do at home.
All of United Airlines fleet is now set up to deliver onboard wi-fi, certainly on domestic and most international routes. Flights to and from Guam are an exception.
The United Airlines inflight wifi service operates from gate to gate.
NEWS: United Airlines has announced that it will equip over 1,000 planes with SpaceX’s Starlink internet, boosting onboard WiFi speeds by up to 100x! Starlink will be available to passengers at no extra cost, making United the largest airline to offer this service.
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How much is wifi on United Airlines?
United Airlines’ Wi-Fi pricing structure is not very straightforward. You can pay for it on a flight-by-flight basis, or if you are a frequent United flyer, you can buy a monthly or annual subscription.
You can purchase inflight wifi either before your flight using a day pass or a subscription plan or purchase wi-fi access for the flight when onboard.
United wifi cost:
United Wifi Day Pass
Subscriptions
Does United Airlines have free wi-fi?
Incredibly, there is no free Wi-Fi on board United Airlines flights, even for passengers in First Class. All passengers, First, Business and Economy, have to pay if they want Wi-Fi access. If I had paid many thousands of dollars to fly first class, I would not have been very happy with that.
You may browse united.com for free. On united.com, you can check your flight status, obtain connecting flight information, purchase tickets etc.
See this disappointed first-class passenger’s Twitter comment to United Airlines (which was not replied to).
The United website states, “If you’re an eligible T-Mobile customer, starting this fall you’ll get free inflight Wi-Fi on all United domestic and international flights.”
NOTE: On most United flights, you can use apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. to send basic text messages for free via the inflight Wi-Fi.
How good is United Airlines wi-fi?
Onboard Wi-Fi on any airline will not be as good as what you are used to at home or in your office, but it does improve year on year.
If you are on a very long flight, you may not have a good connection throughout the entire flight, as satellite reception can vary depending on what part of the world you are flying over.
Sometimes it may be very good, as these two passengers tweeted:
And at other times it may be very bad, as these passengers tweeted to United Airlines:
Two more passengers tweeted their disappointment here:
To be fair, passengers generally don’t tweet or publicize when wifi is good, just when it isn’t, so the above is possibly not that representative of United’s wifi service.
How can I tell if my United Airlines flight has wifi?
To tell if you will have internet access available on your United Airlines flight is quite straightforward.
Go to the United Airlines website (united.com) or the United app and find your flight status page. This will tell you if there will be Wi-Fi.
You can also check the information screen at the departure gate at most US airports, which will tell you.
How to connect to United wifi
When you board you should switch your phone/device to airplane mode (flight mode) and then switch wi-fi back on.
To access United wi-fi:
- Select view available wireless networks on your device and select “United_Wi-Fi”.
- Open a browser. This should automatically open the United Wi-Fi portal. If it doesn’t, enter the URL www.unitedwifi.com in the address bar.
- Purchase a wi-fi plan and connect to the wi-fi
Can you make voice calls or text using United Airlines wi-fi?
You cannot make voice phone calls using your mobile phone network, and VoIP calls (and video/audio conferencing) using services such as Skype, Facetime, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, etc. are also strictly prohibited. (This is a very good thing, too, in my opinion, as who wants to sit for hours having to listen to one side of a telephone call?)
If someone were to try to call you on your mobile phone number (while it is in airplane mode), they would get a message stating that the number was unavailable. They can leave a voice message you can pick up when you land.
You cannot send texts (SMS) either as that uses a GSM network. However, you can send text messages using Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger services.
See my post Can you text on a plane
Can I watch Netflix on United Airlines wifi?
The United Airlines wi-fi system does not support Netflix or other video streaming services such as YouTube. This means that if you want to watch a movie or TV show, you will have to rely on the inflight entertainment system (if it is provided) or download it to your device prior to your flight.
United does offer a personal device entertainment system. This is a free streaming service from its inflight entertainment system to your device. You need to download the United Airlines app onto your phone or tablet to use this service.
United Airlines wifi refund
If you purchase Wi-Fi and it does not work properly, you should speak to a flight attendant and ask if there is anything they can do to fix it.
If the cabin crew cannot fix the issue, you should apply for a refund at https://www.united.com/en/us/refunds, providing your flight details and attaching your receipt.
Other airlines
United Airlines wifi | American Airlines wifi | JetBlue wifi | British Airways wifi | Icelandair wifi | Qatar Airways wifi | Aer Lingus wifi | Hawaiian Airlines wifi | Frontier Airlines wifi | Turkish Airlines wifi | Southwest wifi | Delta Airlines wifi
United inflight wifi FAQs
Is United Airlines Wi-Fi free?
In-flight Wi-Fi on a United flight is not free, even for First Class passengers. You must purchase access to United Airlines inflight Wi-Fi on a flight through flight purchases or monthly and annual Wi-Fi access plans.
Is there free texting on United Airlines
On most United flights you can send text messages over Wi-Fi for free using apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger etc.
Do I need the United Airlines app to watch movies?
To watch movies etc on your electronic device, streamed from the inflight entertainment system, you do need to download the United Airlines app.
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Flying on Qatar Airways? Find out about Qatar Airways Wifi.
I have been traveling around the world by air since the early 70s and living overseas too. I worked for British Airways for a number of years and I am also a private pilot. About Me
