The United Airlines Boeing 747 jets are outfitted with Panasonic Ku-band satellite technology, providing service on trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes.

   “Satellite-based Wi-Fi service enables us to better serve our customers and offer them more of what they want in a global airline,” United Airlines Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Jim Compton said. “With this new service, we continue to build the airline that customers want to fly.”

   In addition to the 747, United Airlines also has outfitted Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi on two Airbus 319 aircraft serving domestic routes. The company said it expects to complete installation of satellite-based Wi-Fi on 300 mainline aircraft by the end of this year, offering customers faster inflight Internet service than air-to-ground technology (ATG).

   United Airlines will eventually install satellite-based Wi-Fi on its Airbus 319 and 320 aircraft, and on its fleet of Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787 jets.

The airline spent more than $550 million upgrading its fleet with additional onboard improvements to allow customer to use their wireless devices such as laptops, smart phones and tablets onboard those aircraft to connect with Internet service using an in-flight hotspot.

   Improvements on United Airlines’ aircraft include flatbed seats, with more than 175 aircraft with 180-degree flat beds in premium cabins once the airline completes the installation in the second quarter. The company is also expanding its extra-legroom Economy Plus seating to provide the most such seating of any U.S. carrier.

   “We have revamped the transcontinental fleet of airplanes that fly between New York Kennedy and Los Angeles and San Francisco, offering an improved premium cabin with fully flat beds, Wi-Fi Internet service, and personal on-demand entertainment at every seat,” the airline said in a statement. “We are also improving in-flight entertainment options with streaming video content on the Boeing 747-400 fleet and retrofitting overhead bins on 152 Airbus aircraft, allowing for significantly greater storage of carry-on baggage.”