United Airlines Announces FAA Approval For First Starlink-Equipped Aircraft — But Retail Stays Extremely Bearish

Shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc. (UAL) drew investor attention on Monday morning after the company said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved its first Starlink-equipped aircraft type with the first commercial flight planned for May this year.

United said the FAA issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Embraer 175, and the airline anticipates the first commercial flight onboard a United Express Embraer 175.

United Airlines expects approximately 40 regional jet installs planned monthly and the entire two-cabin regional fleet – more than 300 planes – to be completed by the end of the year.

Grant Milstead, Vice President of Digital Technology, said the company is working closely with Starlink and the FAA to finish installs on the regional fleet this year.

The airline stated that Starlink access will be free for all MileagePlus customers and will include inflight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, gaming, and more aided by  Wi-Fi speeds up to 250 megabits per second (Mbps). The company claims this is 50 times faster than current regional aircraft speeds.

Recently, United Airlines announced an investment in its Houston hub and broke ground on its new 140,000-square-foot Ground Service Equipment Maintenance Facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

United expects the new $177 million Ground Service Equipment (GSE) maintenance facility to open in 2027. The facility will support the airline's fleet of more than 1,800 ground service vehicles.

United also announced a state-of-the-art Technical Operations Training Center at the airport. This will support its plan to take delivery of hundreds of new planes by 2032.

Meanwhile, on Stocktwits, retail sentiment continued to trend in the ‘extremely bearish’ territory (21/100), albeit with a marginally higher score.

One Stocktwits user with a bearish view on the stock expects it to hit the $60 level soon.

According to TheFly, Bank of America (BofA) recently removed the stock from its “U.S. 1 List," which represents a collection of the best investment ideas drawn from the universe of Buy-rated, U.S.-listed stocks covered by BofA Global Research fundamental equity research analysts.

On Monday, UAL shares opened over 6% lower, aligning with the broader market sell-off as Wall Street awaited the roll-out of Trump's tariffs.

UAL shares have declined over 26% in 2025 but have gained over 48% in the past 12 months.

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