United Airlines' limited edition Star Wars flight thrills movie fans

In a galaxy not that far away. . . United Airlines has launched a special edition Star Wars 737-800 connecting passengers across North America with their inner child.

With a limited-edition livery painted to publicise the final film in the franchise Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the plane features a light-side and a dark-side. A dogfight between the films' recognisable TIE Fighter and X-wing spaceships is depicted on the black fuselage.

This choice between good and evil continues on the inside of the aircraft.

Either side of the cabin flying a 3-3 configuration, seats are decorated with either the colours of the Rebel Alliance or the Evil Empire. Although passengers' placement on either side of the battle lines has more to do with seat allocation rather a susceptibility to the "Dark Side of the Force".

The plane was unveiled at the beginning of the month with an inaugural flight from Houston Texas to Orlando Florida.

Accompanying the plane was a compliment of fearsome looking Storm Troopers, who posed for pictures with air travellers.

A special Star Wars-themed safety video is also being aired on flights.

"United Airlines and the Star Wars franchise share a common goal: connect people and unite the world," said Mark Krolick, United's vice president of marketing.

"We are thrilled to join forces and help promote the concluding chapter of the Skywalker story, while at the same time enlisting help from our new friends from the Star Wars universe to demonstrate the importance of safety for our customers and colleagues."

Passengers lucky enough to get a seat on the limited-edition flight will also be given Star Wars amenity kit and commemorative pin.

Not everyone will be able to fly United's battleship themselves, however they will be able to track its progress. Having teamed up with the flight-information website FlightAware, flight N36272 appears on tracking software as an X-wing spaceship.

United is also offering customers the chance to buy Star Wars experiences using loyalty MileagePlus points, including movie screenings.

For 262 points, frequent flyers can land themselves a seat at either the UK or US premieres of The Rise of Skywalker next week.