Two More Airlines Adopting Tablets

In the wake of American Airlines’ AAMRQ announcement that it had equipped pilots with iPads, two more airlines announce extensive use of tablets but not necessarily for the right reasons.

First, on their cleverly-named blog, “BlueTales” JetBlue JBLU announced that it had started training pilots on the use of iPads in its cockpits. In case anybody was concerned, the blog makes clear that pilots will not be playing “Angry Birds” at 36,000 feet. (Apparently the author doesn’t know that Angry Birds is so last year.)

READ: American Airlines Now Using iPads in Most Cockpits

But more important than gaming choices, JetBlue pilots will use three core apps- real-time weather, pre-flight planning, and digital aircraft and airport chart—the latter, like what is now in use on American Airlines’ aircraft.

The company cites similar reasons as American: Less paper equals less weight which equals less fuel. It claims that it will use satellite Wi-Fi to download and update all information in real time giving it the fastest internet access in the air.

JetBlue isn’t nearly the size of American but Apple has to be happy about the growing adoption of its device in aviation. Private pilots, along with commercial pilots are adapting iOS devices as they look for real time, cost effective solutions that work with hardware they already own.

Delta Air Lines DAL is adding tablets to its operations but not for the same noble reasons as JetBlue. Bloomberg reports that The U.S. Department of Transportation fined the airline $750,000 for not compensating passengers bumped from flights.

You know how it works. An airline sells too many seats so they ask for volunteers to give up their seat for a later flight. In exchange, they award the person a free roundtrip ticket.

But Delta had different plans. It, reportedly, bumped passengers without telling them that they had a right to cash compensation. This is the second time the airline finds itself in hot water over passenger-bumping rules.

Of that $750,000, $425,000 of the fine will go towards buying tablets to record its practices when a flight is oversold. Maybe the next time you get a speeding ticket, you should ask to use the fine to purchase a tablet that tells you when you’re driving too fast. In other words, this really isn’t much of a fine at all. Delta will likely (and should) use the tablets for other reasons as well.

One interesting aside to this story: The company hasn’t announced if the iPad will be the tablet of choice but if it is, $425,000 isn’t going to go very far. $425,000 will only purchase 851 entry-level iPads or 1,291 iPad Minis. Even with a corporate discount, it’s going to take a lot more than those numbers to roll it out across all terminals.

Is Delta investing additional funds or is this program only required at a fraction of Delta’s terminals? Either way, tablet makers are surely knocking on Delta’s door.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker had no position in the above mentioned securities.

In the wake of American Airlines’ announcement that it had equipped pilots with iPads, two more airlines announce extensive use of tablets but not necessarily for the right reasons.

First, on their cleverly-named blog, “BlueTales” JetBlue JBLU announced that it had started training pilots on the use of iPads in its cockpits. In case anybody was concerned, the blog makes clear that pilots will not be playing “Angry Birds” at 36,000 feet. (Apparently the author doesn’t know that Angry Birds is so last year.)

READ: American Airlines Now Using iPads in Most Cockpits

But more important than gaming choices, JetBlue pilots will use three core apps- real-time weather, pre-flight planning, and digital aircraft and airport chart—the latter, like what is now in use on American Airlines’ aircraft.

The company cites similar reasons as American: Less paper equals less weight which equals less fuel. It claims that it will use satellite Wi-Fi to download and update all information in real time giving it the fastest internet access in the air.

JetBlue isn’t nearly the size of American but Apple has to be happy about the growing adoption of its device in aviation. Private pilots, along with commercial pilots are adapting iOS devices as they look for real time, cost effective solutions that work with hardware they already own.

Delta Air Lines DAL is adding tablets to its operations but not for the same noble reasons as JetBlue. Bloomberg reports that The U.S. Department of Transportation fined the airline $750,000 for not compensating passengers bumped from flights.

You know how it works. An airline sells too many seats so they ask for volunteers to give up their seat for a later flight. In exchange, they award the person a free roundtrip ticket.

But Delta had different plans. It, reportedly, bumped passengers without telling them that they had a right to cash compensation. This is the second time the airline finds itself in hot water over passenger-bumping rules.

Of that $750,000, $425,000 of the fine will go towards buying tablets to record its practices when a flight is oversold. Maybe the next time you get a speeding ticket, you should ask to use the fine to purchase a tablet that tells you when you’re driving too fast. In other words, this really isn’t much of a fine at all. Delta will likely (and should) use the tablets for other reasons as well.

One interesting aside to this story: The company hasn’t announced if the iPad will be the tablet of choice but if it is, $425,000 isn’t going to go very far. $425,000 will only purchase 851 entry-level iPads or 1,291 iPad Minis. Even with a corporate discount, it’s going to take a lot more than those numbers to roll it out across all terminals.

Is Delta investing additional funds or is this program only required at a fraction of Delta’s terminals? Either way, tablet makers are surely knocking on Delta’s door.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker had no position in the above mentioned securities.

announcement that it had equipped pilots with iPads, two more airlines announce extensive use of tablets but not necessarily for the right reasons.

First, on their cleverly-named blog, “BlueTales” JetBlue JBLU announced that it had started training pilots on the use of iPads in its cockpits. In case anybody was concerned, the blog makes clear that pilots will not be playing “Angry Birds” at 36,000 feet. (Apparently the author doesn’t know that Angry Birds is so last year.)

READ: American Airlines Now Using iPads in Most Cockpits

But more important than gaming choices, JetBlue pilots will use three core apps- real-time weather, pre-flight planning, and digital aircraft and airport chart—the latter, like what is now in use on American Airlines’ aircraft.

The company cites similar reasons as American: Less paper equals less weight which equals less fuel. It claims that it will use satellite Wi-Fi to download and update all information in real time giving it the fastest internet access in the air.

JetBlue isn’t nearly the size of American but Apple has to be happy about the growing adoption of its device in aviation. Private pilots, along with commercial pilots are adapting iOS devices as they look for real time, cost effective solutions that work with hardware they already own.

Delta Air Lines DAL is adding tablets to its operations but not for the same noble reasons as JetBlue. Bloomberg reports that The U.S. Department of Transportation fined the airline $750,000 for not compensating passengers bumped from flights.

You know how it works. An airline sells too many seats so they ask for volunteers to give up their seat for a later flight. In exchange, they award the person a free roundtrip ticket.

But Delta had different plans. It, reportedly, bumped passengers without telling them that they had a right to cash compensation. This is the second time the airline finds itself in hot water over passenger-bumping rules.

Of that $750,000, $425,000 of the fine will go towards buying tablets to record its practices when a flight is oversold. Maybe the next time you get a speeding ticket, you should ask to use the fine to purchase a tablet that tells you when you’re driving too fast. In other words, this really isn’t much of a fine at all. Delta will likely (and should) use the tablets for other reasons as well.

One interesting aside to this story: The company hasn’t announced if the iPad will be the tablet of choice but if it is, $425,000 isn’t going to go very far. $425,000 will only purchase 851 entry-level iPads or 1,291 iPad Minis. Even with a corporate discount, it’s going to take a lot more than those numbers to roll it out across all terminals.

Is Delta investing additional funds or is this program only required at a fraction of Delta’s terminals? Either way, tablet makers are surely knocking on Delta’s door.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker had no position in the above mentioned securities.