US Airline to Offer Free Wi-Fi Using Starlink

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Materials

Read Engoo Daily News articles with Engoo tutors

September 18, 2024

Advanced

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.

disclose

Verb

dɪˈskloʊz

to make information known

His lawyer advised him not to disclose any details about the case.

rival

Noun

ˈraɪvəl

a person or thing competing with another business, player, etc.

HBO Max and Disney+ are among Netflix's biggest rivals.

fleet

Noun

fliːt

a group of vehicles owned by the same person or organization or working together

The taxi company has unveiled its new fleet of electric cars.

amenity

Noun

əˈmɛnɪti

something useful or desirable that makes a place comfortable or easy to live in

This hotel provides a number of amenities including a pool, a gym and a library.

partisan

Adjective

ˈpɑːrtəzn

showing strong support for a particular cause, political party, etc.

The news agency was criticized for their partisan coverage of the political scandal.

prominent

Adjective

ˈprɑːmənənt

famous and important

Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most prominent pacifist leaders in world history.

Exercise 2

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor.

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

US Airline to Offer Free Wi-Fi Using Starlink

United Airlines has done a deal with Elon Musk's company SpaceX to offer free Wi-Fi to passengers flying with the airline.

The airline will use SpaceX's satellite-based Starlink Wi-Fi service on flights within the next several years.

United said the service will be free to passengers and allow them to connect multiple devices.

It added that it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights later in 2025.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip.

United's goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.

Delta Air Lines began offering free in-flight Wi-Fi last year using Viasat, a rival to Starlink. Hawaiian Airlines already uses Starlink to offer free internet on some flights between Hawaii and the US mainland.

United is planning a more aggressive rollout across its fleet of more than 1,000 planes.

Linda Jojo, United's chief customer officer, said US passengers now expect free Wi-Fi, making it one of the most sought-after on-board amenities.

"It doesn't matter where you're sitting on the plane, it doesn't matter how much you paid for your ticket, you're going to benefit" from the service, Jojo said.

Starlink will let passengers get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing, she said.

Jojo added that United had considered the downsides of dealing with Musk, a partisan figure in a politically divided country.

SpaceX's owner has emerged as a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, hosting the former president in a friendly chat on X and making a lot of pro-Republican posts.