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

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 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.

United has announced inflight Starlink Wi-Fi will arrive sooner than anticipated, with the first commercial test flight scheduled next month on an Embraer E-175. The airline plans to equip all of its two-cabin regional aircraft with the technology before the end of 2025.