The iPad is officially going sky high in a big way. While we have previously reported on airlines replacing pilot’s flight bags with iPads, now major airlines are noticing the trend and making the change, with United, Continental, Delta and British Airlines all following suit.
United announced on Tuesday that they will be converting their flight decks to be entirely paperless, and will deploy 11,000 iPads to all of United and Continental’s pilots to use as flight bags.
The iPads replace paper flight manuals and aeronautical navigation charts with a new iPad app. The iPad, which only weighs around 1.5 pounds, will be replacing massive flight bags weighing many times that amount (up to 38 pounds) and containing thousands of sheets of paper documents, charts, and maps.
In addition, British Airways and Delta Airlines have both begun using the iPad to help their customers. The iPads let the crew quickly seat customers, and keep track of where each customer is seated, as well as who they are traveling with, their meal requests, and so forth. They also provide the crew with important information such as flight time tables and safety manuals, and allow crew members to communicate and collaborate with each other.
There’s no doubt that the iPad continues to find new and exciting roles all over the world, and it’s no mystery that these major airlines are choosing to purchase thousands of iPads over similar Android tablets.
