Transpacific rivals
ANA vs United Airlines— Wi-Fi compared
Side-by-side comparison of in-flight Wi-Fi: free vs paid, fleet coverage, satellite technology, and real traveler reports from public sources.
The verdict
It's close — ANA and United Airlines score similarly
ANA scores 85% on our algorithmic Wi-Fi index versus 84% for United Airlines. ANA offers free messaging to all passengers. Recent public reports from travelers (last 90 days, 13 mentions) skew 23% positive for ANA.
Side-by-side
ANANH
85%
WIWi score
ProviderPanasonic / Inmarsat
StarlinkNo
Free messagingYes
Real-world signal23% positive · 13 reports
84%
WIWi score
ProviderViasat / Panasonic / Starlink (rolling)
StarlinkRolling out
Free messagingNo
Real-world signal43% positive · 88 reports
Detail comparison
| Criterion | ANA | United Airlines |
|---|---|---|
| WIWi score | 85% | 84% |
| Policy | Most aircraft equipped | Most aircraft equipped |
| Provider | Panasonic / Inmarsat | Viasat / Panasonic / Starlink (rolling) |
| Starlink rolling out | No | Yes |
| Free messaging | Yes | No |
| Real reports (90d) | 13 | 88 |
| % positive sentiment | 23% | 43% |
| % negative sentiment | 15% | 30% |
| Top complaint | Slow at takeoff (2×) | Paywall (14×) |
| Last verified | 2026-01-15 | 2026-01-15 |
Pick ANA when…
- Free messaging is offered to all passengers without paywall.
Pick United Airlines when…
- Starlink LEO Wi-Fi is rolling out — much lower latency than GEO satellites.
- Real-world public reports are more positive (43% vs 23% positive).
Recent traveler reports
ANA
- “ANA expands Wi-Fi equipage, selecting Panasonic Ku-band for Boeing 787s and OnAir for 777s and 767s.”
- “ANA announces free Viasat Amara Ka-band Wi-Fi on international routes across 767s, 787s, and 777s, targeting 80% of fleet by end of 2030.”
- “ANA announces plan to introduce free Viasat Wi-Fi across all cabin classes by 2030, with 80% of international fleet equipped.”
United Airlines
- “United's Panasonic Wi-Fi system reported as non-functional across widebody fleet; Starlink rollout pending.”
- “United deploying Starlink Wi-Fi to Boeing 737-800 fleet starting October 15, free for MileagePlus members.”
- “United expanding Starlink Wi-Fi to 880 aircraft by 2026, moving faster than competitors despite current Panasonic system issues.”
Got a specific flight?
Generic rankings are useful — your actual flight is more useful.
How we compare
- Algorithmic score— calculated from each airline's published Wi-Fi policy, provider technology, and fleet coverage.
- Real-world reports — automatically aggregated from public posts on Reddit, FlyerTalk, and other forums in the last 90 days. Classified by AI for sentiment and topic.
- Last verified— date our team last manually checked the airline's policy page.
- WillItWiFi has no commercial relationship with ANA, United Airlines, or any satellite operator.