As Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker nears, pretend you're aboard an X-Wing
United Airlines will let you board a plane to Star Wars music, and Rey and Poe might appear in the in-flight safety demo.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Is it an X-Wing or a plane?
United Airlines is getting in on the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hype, bringing a bunch of Episode 9 theming to its on-board experience. One of its Boeing 737-800 planes will get wrapped in a Star Wars poster, with a different colored lightsaber on each side of the aircraft. Headrests will have emblems of the Resistance or the First Order.
The Star Wars plane will appear as an X-Wing on FlightAware.
The tricked-out plane will arrive at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, Thursday afternoon for its maiden voyage, with Star Wars characters and stormtroopers to be in attendance.
It'll fly on domestic and short-haul international routes for the next year, with its first flight scheduled for Orlando, Florida -- the home of Walt Disney World and one of Disney's two Star Wars-themed lands.
The United Star Wars plane will be tracked on the app FlightAware as an X-Wing symbol rather than a standard plane, too.
The airline will also provide Rise of Skywalker amenity kits to passengers, the on-board music will be Star Wars (no word on whether it's the Imperial March) and the in-flight safety demonstration video will feature Star Wars characters. Let's hope we get Poe Dameron telling us exactly how to fly this X-Wing, or Luke Skywalker calling it a piece of junk. Maybe Chewie will co-pilot?
"The video features special appearances by several iconic Star Wars characters and thrilling, space-themed sequences scored to some of the most recognizable musical themes in both motion picture and commercial aviation history," United said when announcing the plane in October.
United Airlines MileagePlus members will get the chance to use their frequent flyer miles to attend the premiere of Episode 9 in the US, visit filming locations in Jordan, access special screenings of The Rise of Skywalker, and purchase a collectors package.
The Star Wars experiences will launch in November. Passengers traveling in December will receive commemorative pins to celebrate the movie's release on Dec. 20. Disney released the final trailer last month.
Read More: Best Star Wars Gifts for Young or Veteran Fans 2019
First published at 12:00 p.m. PT on Oct. 25.
Updated on Nov. 7 at 11:00 a.m.: Adds detail on plane's first flight, where and when it will travel, new video.
