United Airlines Attracts Competitors’ Passengers with Technology
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On October 22, 2026, PYMNTS reported that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in-flight Starlink Wi-Fi and the mobile app are attracting loyal customers of competing airlines to switch to United Airlines and prompting these passengers to choose the airline again. As of the time of the report, United Airlines had installed Starlink Wi-Fi on more than 640 aircraft and was proceeding at a rate of adding 3 aircraft per day, with plans to cover the entire fleet by the end of 2027. In the third quarter, the United Airlines mobile app also enabled passengers affected by flight disruptions to be waitlisted for up to 3 earlier flights.
AI-written from reports · updated 2 hours ago
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- PYMNTSUnited Airlines CEO: Starlink Wi-Fi and mobile app help attract passengers from rival airlines
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Starlink Wi-Fi and its mobile app are attracting loyal customers of rival airlines to switch to United and prompting them to choose the airline again. United has installed Starlink Wi-Fi on more than 640 aircraft, adding 3 more each day, and expects to cover its entire fleet by the end of 2027. In the third quarter, the mobile app allowed passengers affected by disruptions to join standby lists for up to 3 earlier flights.
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