United Airlines flights will have access to Elon Musk’s Starlink Wi-Fi services as early as this spring, a sign of the widening reach of the tech billionaire.

United Airlines says in-flight Wi-Fi through Starlink will eventually be available on all United flights on seat-back screens and personal devices.

The airline and Musk launched the first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777 on a 22 October flight from Doha to London. Qatar Airways is the first airline in the Middle East to offer Starlink to passengers with internet that operates “from gate to gate”.

United Airlines said a faster rollout on its planes will allow for "game-changing" in-flight experiences such as streaming services, shopping and gaming.

United Airlines is speeding up its timeline for connecting its fleet to Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite network that provides high-speed internet around the globe. The airline expects to begin testing Starlink in February with the first commercial flight anticipated in the spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft,

United Airlines has a lot riding on plans to accelerate its rollout of Elon Musk's Starlink service on its planes.

A popular airline will be trialling Elon Musk's satellite internet from next month, which it hopes to roll-out for free to all it's loyalty customers in the future

Access will be free for all MileagePlus customers and includes inflight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, gaming and more.

The Chicago-based airline is setting an earlier-than-expected rollout, becoming the first major U.S. carrier to use Elon Musk’s satellite service.