United starts putting Starlink on its 737 MAX 8s, beginning with the Guam fleet and the Island Hopper

United Airlines has started installing Starlink Wi-Fi on its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet, and the first jets to get it are based in Guam. Two of the ten MAX 8s that United keeps on the island now have the satellite service, according to the airline's Oct. 13 announcement. United says they are among the first MAX 8s in its fleet to be fitted.

For travelers in Micronesia, that matters more than it might on a mainland hop. Many of these flights cross long stretches of open ocean, where older inflight Wi-Fi has been patchy or slow.

What you get on board

United says Starlink is free for MileagePlus members in every cabin. You can connect more than one device at a time. The airline also says it will notify you before your flight if your plane has Starlink, so you will know whether to plan on working in the air.

Joining MileagePlus is free, so the practical rule is simple: sign up before you fly and log in on board. You can find the program's tiers and lounge benefits on our MileagePlus page.

Starlink is now on about 47% of United's daily flights, the airline says. It expects to finish installing it across the whole fleet before the end of 2027. Since the service launched, United says it has carried more than 37.7 million passengers on Starlink-equipped planes, across more than 538,000 flights.

The rollout has been moving fast on other fronts too. Earlier this month, United added live playoff baseball to its seatback screens on Starlink planes, which we covered in our story on live MLB streaming. The service is also at the center of United's pitch to lure Delta flyers, as we wrote in our look at its status match.

A newer fleet for Guam, finished early

The Wi-Fi news comes with a fleet change. United says it has finished replacing its Guam-based Boeing 737-800s with ten 737 MAX 8s, ahead of its own year-end target. It first showed off the Guam MAX 8s in March.

Those jets now fly all of United's narrowbody routes from Guam. That covers 15 destinations, United says, including flights across Micronesia, routes to Asia and the Island Hopper, the multi-stop service that links small Pacific islands.

According to United, the MAX 8s have 164 seats, including 14 in United First. Every seat has a screen, 13 inches in United First and 10 inches in economy. United also lists larger overhead bins, more extra-legroom seats, USB charging and Bluetooth audio. The front rows of economy can be converted to hold a medical stretcher when a patient needs a medevac flight, which is a real need in the region.

United's Chief Customer Officer, David Kinzelman, announced the news at a press conference at Guam's Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. "We said we would replace the entire Guam fleet with MAX 8 aircraft by the end of this year, and we've finished early," he said.

Changes at the airport

United says it has also refreshed its check-in lobby at the Guam airport over the past year. The update added new kiosks and a new layout meant to cut crowding at check-in.

The announcement does not mention any lounge changes in Guam. Lounge Frog does not yet list lounges at Guam, so check United's site for what is open before you go. If you connect through a United hub on the mainland, our United airline page lists its hubs and fleet, with links to the airports where its lounges are.

What United has not said

United did not give a date for Starlink on the other eight Guam MAX 8s. It also did not say when the rest of its mainland MAX 8 fleet will be fitted. Until your plane is done, you will not get Starlink on that flight. Watch for the pre-flight notice, and check the app on the day of travel.