Delta is dropping its iPad trial and issuing Surface 2 tablets to its pilots. These tablets will become the cornerstone of the company’s new electronic flight bag (EFB) and will replace the heavy paper-bound versions. Though Microsoft is playing up this deal, this transition was not as smooth as it appears on the surface, says a report in AppleInsider.
Delta was one of the airlines that tested the iPad shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration approved the device for use in the cockpit. Delta initially bought 22 tablets for a limited trial that started in 2011. Details on the trial were not revealed, but hearsay suggests the iPad was favored by the pilots, while the Surface was the choice of the IT staff.
Speaking to AppleInsider, a pilot said he and his fellow flyers opposed the Microsoft deal and “fought hard for the iPad.” This move to the Surface, the pilot claimed, was all about money, travel contracts and Delta’s IT staff, which is “in bed” with Microsoft.
According to Delta and Microsoft, the airline plans to deploy the Surface 2 later this year, with the goal of distributing the EFBs to all its pilots by the end of next year. This slow rollout may be due to some regulatory hiccups with the Surface 2, which apparently isn’t approved for EFB use yet. Delta is going big with Microsoft, announcing alongside its Surface 2 adoption that it is equipping its flight attendants with Nokia Windows Phone handsets that include Microsoft’s Dynamics software to handle customer service duties.
[Via AppleInsider and AllThingsD]
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