JetBlue invites iPads into the cockpit
Another airline has just announced that iPads will become part of standard cockpit equipment for its fleet. Long Island City, NY-based JetBlue will be equipping pilots with iPads and three core apps to lighten their load and help them in getting passengers to their destinations safely and on time.
The apps help pilots look at real-time weather, let them do their pre-flight planning and provide access to digital airport and aircraft charts. The real-time weather app will receive data via satellite WiFi provided by the LiveTV systems on each aircraft, providing what JetBlue refers to as "the fastest access in the air."
JetBlue believes that the FAA will allow other apps into the cockpit in the future, including instrument approach and taxiway charts.
American Airlines announced this week that it had completed a systemwide rollout of 8,000 iPads for use on the flight deck, and is expecting to save over $1.2 million in fuel annually thanks to the elimination of heavy flight bags on its aircraft. Trees will also be happy with American's rollout -- the company says that they've eliminated 24 million pages of paper documents.
