News - American Airlines embracing tablet computing

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Replacing paper flight charts with iPads, and offering Galaxy Tabs to passengers.

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Read more.

Does anyone else find it odd that they want to use 2 tablets simultaneously?

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Originally Posted by MSIC

Does anyone else find it odd that they want to use 2 tablets simultaneously?

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Not just you...
What use is an ipad app on a galaxy tab?

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Originally Posted by The article

Thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration removing the restrictions that previously meant iPads had to be turned off during take-off and landing, American Airlines will be able to outfit its pilots with the tablet. AA will be replacing the numerous paper forms its pilots have to fill out with digital versions, all accessed via an iPad.

The weight saving of around 35lb per flight will save American Airlines an estimated $1.2 million a year in fuel costs, so it's not as strange a plan as it might sound.

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According to my crude and unchecked calculations, if they're saving 35lb, that means the pilots are having to fill in nearly 4000 forms of letter size paper (roughly A4 size) per flight... either my calculations are way off (very likely), pilots actually spend the entire flight filling in forms while the autopilot does everything for the pilot (including sleep, eat and breath), or someone's trying very hard to justify a new toy.

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Originally Posted by capt_cornflake

What use is an ipad app on a galaxy tab?

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What use is an android app on an ipad?

Seems kinda obvious tbh.

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Originally Posted by this_is_gav

According to my crude and unchecked calculations, if they're saving 35lb, that means the pilots are having to fill in nearly 4000 forms of letter size paper (roughly A4 size) per flight... either my calculations are way off (very likely), pilots actually spend the entire flight filling in forms while the autopilot does everything for the pilot (including sleep, eat and breath), or someone's trying very hard to justify a new toy.

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Carrying maps, charts, reports, clip boards, binders, etc. quickly adds up... all that assorted bureaucratic bling can be chucked out.

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Originally Posted by this_is_gav

According to my crude and unchecked calculations, if they're saving 35lb, that means the pilots are having to fill in nearly 4000 forms of letter size paper (roughly A4 size) per flight... either my calculations are way off (very likely), pilots actually spend the entire flight filling in forms while the autopilot does everything for the pilot (including sleep, eat and breath), or someone's trying very hard to justify a new toy.

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Maps.

That simple.

As a Private Pilot planning a few weeks in the US you'd be amazed how many sectionals (maps) I'm going to need..... An iPad sounds like a much better bet, and as for DR well my friend she already has one, and its unlikely both will fail simultaniously, whilst an emergency forces us to divert from the garmin.

So I think an Ipad is a netbook for a retarded person, yet this one use alone means I might buy one, and I need half the amount of maps someone doing a commercial jet would need.

The article says forms... and to be honest, even if it is as above, then it still seems excessive. That's 8 reams of paper. If it's double sided, then it's effectively 8000 pages.

Galaxy tabs are more open ended, and more open to being customisable? No itunes need, lack of SD card slot of being picky over the formats it will play. I can see why they choose android of apple, but yeah..why not give the pilots android devices as well?

edit: My guess is it is just for marketing & to give two other big companies more bragging rights...thus getting American Airlines name in a wider circle?

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Originally Posted by MSIC

Does anyone else find it odd that they want to use 2 tablets simultaneously?

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Yes. I'm going to assume however that they figured that the requirements were too different to use one pad. Otherwise, if they could've got away with one device then I guess they probably could have negotiated a better deal (for exclusive rights).

Of course, the flip side of that is that maybe they deliberately didn't go single source, so they couldn't be held to ransom by a single supplier?

Makes a good deal of sense to me - the advanced in-flight entertainment systems I last played with were practically seat-mounted tablets anyway. I assume they'll be locking out Market access and closing down the USB and SD slots on the cabin ones, and the iPad's be similarly restricted.