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Daily Update for May 1, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
American Airlines: iPads prevent pilot back injuries
Many airlines have embraced the iPad as a way to replace the 40-pound flight bags containing charts and manuals, but until now there's been little talk about how those tablet deployments are going. At the Tablet Strategy conference in New York yesterday, American Airlines VP of Airline Operations Technology Patrick O'Keefe discussed how the airline is aggressively moving ahead with adoption of tablets and the benefits that are already becoming apparent. All of American's 8,600 pilots will have iPads by the end of May, each device containing over 3,000 pages of material that used to be printed out and manually updated. Now the charts and manuals are digitally updated, saving flight crews a lot of busy work. But the biggest win for American is in terms of crew safety, as O'Keefe noted that "We've reduced the single biggest source of pilot injuries, carrying those packs." In addition, "we are now able to save $1 million in fuel costs and stop printing all the page revisions." American has worked closely with Apple to lobby the Federal Aviation Administration to allow more use in flight. As a result, "American is the only carrier in the world with permission to use iPads at all phases of flight, including letting our pilots use them below 10,000 feet," said O'Keefe. That's not to say that American Airlines is an iPad-only company; all 16,000 flight attendants have Samsung Galaxy Note "phablets" that are used for managing food service and seating, or providing gate information for connecting flights.
Gadling goes hands-on with the iPad flight bag
Flight bags are going digital, and American Airlines is on the forefront of this move away from a paper-laden cockpit. American has approval to use the iPad in its 777, 737 and MD-80 airplanes and is starting to install the iPads in the cockpits of its MD-80 fleet. A recent segment in Gadling's Cockpit Chronicles series by Kent Wien takes a closer look at this iOS-driven setup. Working with pilot manual company Jeppesen, American Airlines is loading up the devices with company manuals, Jeppesen flight manuals, Jeppesen approach plates and more. It is also equipping the iPads with Hypermac backup batteries for long flights and a RAM mount to secure the device in the cockpit. You can check out the cockpit setup in the video below and then hop over to the Cockpit Chronicles article for additional details on the system and its long approval process, which includes, among other things, hypobaric chamber testing. [Gadling is a sibling site of TUAW, as we are both part of AOL's network. –Ed.]
American Airlines brings Gogo's Ku-band, ATG-4 internet to latest A320 and 737 aircraft
If you wind up cruising in one of American Airlines latest airliners, you'll likely be pleased with the WiFi that's also onboard. Gogo recently announced that its Ku-band satellite and peppy ATG-4 internet connectivity will be available on AA's latest Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 deliveries. The mixture ensures you'll be able to get online whether you're over the seas or the connected ground below. You'll find more info in the press release after the break, and expect it all to be available before the earlier part of this year flies by.
American Airlines to hand out Galaxy Note 'tablets' to 17,000 flight attendants (video)
Things aren't all Champagne and caviar over at American Airlines, not that you'd know it from the company's latest press release. The Dallas-based air carrier just shared a plan to outfit all of its flight attendants with Samsung Galaxy Notes beginning later this year. The rollout will continue through the middle of 2013, at which point each of the airline's 17,000 cabin crew members will have their very own "tablet," which they'll use to manage flight manifests, track premium passenger meal preferences and monitor weather and gate information in real-time, on WiFi-equipped flights. Eventually, the handsets will also include the flight attendant manual, along with additional features, such as processing for in-flight meal and drink purchases (pending FAA approval). Though the Galaxy Note II will likely be available by the time the program begins, the press release references a 5.3-inch display, which would imply the previous-gen handset. Sadly, this Note of excitement comes alongside news that some 11,000 American mechanics and ground workers could get a pink slip come November -- as frequent air travelers ourselves, we're genuinely sorry to hear that, and we don't want any gadget to overshadow the airline's ongoing troubles and the unfortunate fate of hardworking employees. You can catch that angle at the coverage link below, then read all about the Note program just after the break.
American Airlines becomes first FAA-friendly carrier to use iPads through whole flights
You don't have to wait for an FAA rethink to use your iPad on an airliner below 10,000 feet -- if you're part of an American Airlines crew, that is. As of this month, the air carrier is the first cleared by the FAA to use iPads in the cockpit at every point during a flight. The program starts just with Boeing 777 pilots at first, but it should eventually grow to save $1.2 million in weight-related fuel costs per year across the airline, not to mention a few trees and the strain of 35-pound flight bags. American is confident enough in the tablet switchover that it plans to stop handing out any paper updates to its charts and manuals as of January, just days after its entire fleet gets the regulatory nod for iPads at the end of this year. We just wouldn't anticipate Android or Windows tablet rollouts anytime soon. American isn't opposed to the concept, but it's only promising that slates beyond the iPad will be "evaluated for use" if and when the FAA applies its rubber stamp.
AA gives OK to place iPads in airplane cockpits
Soon, pilots from American Airlines will be able leave their oversized flight manual behind and grab their iPad when they hop into the pilot's seat. According to a report by The Next Web, the FCC gave the airlines the necessary approval to use the iPad as part of an electronic flight bag. In a first for the travel industry, the Apple tablet will be available for pilots to use during all phases of flight. Besides pilots, American Airlines also wants to equip their flight attendants with tablets so they can better manage travelers and meet their needs. The iPads will be available to pilots of the company's Boeing 777 planes in the coming weeks. After the company secures approval, it will then roll out the iPad to other fleet planes by the end of 2012. The airline hopes to stop issuing paper revisions of its manuals and navigation charts by January 2013.
Daily Update for December 14, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Reports: American Airlines wins FAA approval for in-cockpit iPads, will launch Friday
If you fly as an American Airlines premium passenger, you'll get to play with a Galaxy Tab. If you actually fly the plane, though, you'll have to make do with an iPad. According to ZDNet, the carrier has already won FAA approval to use iPads "as electronic chart and digital flight manual readers," making it the world's first airline to be totally tablet friendly. A source close to the situation tells ZDNet that AA "will begin iPad operations on B-777 aircraft" before expanding to other planes, and that both first and second generation devices have been cleared for cockpit use. An AA pilot, meanwhile, tells TechCrunch that the company's tablets will feature JeppTC (a flight chart app available in the App Store), and that all onboard slates will be required to fly with an extra battery. The program, slated to kick off this Friday, could also offer substantial savings in paper and fuel costs. According to Seattle Pi's estimates, a single iPad would replace some 35 pounds of paper per year, translating to approximately $1.2 million in saved fuel costs. Insiders say United and Delta are pursuing similar initiatives, with the latter reportedly looking for an Android-specific solution, though at the moment, only American Airlines has won the FAA's seal of approval.
Gogo to bring enhanced WiFi to Virgin America, expands video streaming on American Airlines
Virgin America's in-flight perks are getting even perkier. This week, the domestic carrier announced that it's bringing Gogo's ATG-4 service aboard its fleet of aircraft, in a move that promises to enhance in-flight WiFi capacity by a factor of four. The upgrade is slated to roll out during the first half of 2012, when the company will begin outfitting its planes with Gogo's directional antenna, dual-modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies. But VA isn't the only airline getting in on the Gogo game, as the in-flight entertainment company announced this week that it's expanding its new video streaming service to American Airlines, as well. American, as you may recall, became the first airline to test the Gogo Vision service back in August, aboard its fleet of 15 Boeing 767-200 planes. Now, the streaming product is slated to expand to a full 400 of AA's aircraft, bringing about 200 movies and TV shows to entertainment-starved passengers. Movies will be available for 24 hour rentals, with TV purchases good for a full 72 hours. Unexpired rentals, meanwhile, will still be available once you land and can be accessed with the same browser and device you used aboard the flight. No word on final pricing, though Gogo is extending its introductory offer ($1 per TV show and $4 per movie) through October 15th. Taxi past the break for more details, in a pair of press releases.
American Airlines rolls out in-flight Entertainment On Demand, lets you continue watching after you land
American Airlines gives its Boeing 767-200 fleet all the love -- first it sends some 10.1-inch Galaxy Tabs through the gate, and now in-flight streaming videos get the all-clear to board. If you'll recall, AA's been testing Aircell (Gogo) in-flight video streaming, and now the service has gone live on 15 of the transcontinental wide-bodies flying New York to San Francisco or Los Angeles. You won't need to purchase in-flight WiFi to access Entertainment On Demand, but it currently only works on "select laptops," with rentals for television shows priced at $0.99 and movies at $3.99. You'll also be able to access your purchased TV and movie content on your device for 72 or 24 hours, respectively, if your flight soars into its destination ahead of time -- pickins' are quite slim, though, with only around 100 vids to choose from presently. The airline plans to add the service to all of its WiFi-enabled aircraft -- while also expanding device support -- beginning later this year. Fly on for a demo video and press release, parked just past the break.
Samsung Galaxy Tab spreads wings, flies to premium seats on American Airlines
Move on over, Delta. The 200 iPads at your JFK terminal may entertain some folks waiting to board, but before the year's out American Airlines will start switching out 6,000 in-flight entertainment systems with Samsung 10.1-inch Galaxy Tabs. Sammy will be customizing the Honeycomb slates with flight related "features" including AA's streaming service mentioned last month, and possibly even adding "expanded memory" for the devices -- no word on how, though. Panasonic's console has some competition it seems. It's notable that these will only be available in "premium cabins" on a handful of long-distance routes, and unless you're flying in a 767-200, WiFi access -- a separate purchase, by the way -- may not be available. We've embedded some PR with the details for all you jet-setting tablet enthusiasts after the break.
American Airlines testing in-flight media streaming, staying curiously mum about content selection
American Airlines would like you to pay for movies and shows you're used to getting for free to give you a new way to keep yourselves entertained at 30,000 feet. The airline is testing Aircell's forthcoming service that will let you stream flicks and TV programs to your own WiFi-enabled device. Aircell, the company behind Gogo in-flight WiFi, is curating the library of content, and for now, it's unclear just how extensive the selection will be (last time we checked, the company was staying mum about content partners). And we definitely wonder how smooth the streaming will be on a crowded flight full of web surfers... you know, considering that Gogo already compresses JPEGs on everyday websites. And really, it had better be -- otherwise, you're better off with the complimentary shows and movies bundled into that built-in entertainment center right in front of you. All questions that will get answered when the service launches this fall.
Delta, AA iPhone apps could be worth a million frequent flyer miles
Participants in Delta's SkyMiles or American Airlines' AAdvantage frequent flyer programs, or anyone who would like a chance to win a million frequent flyer miles, should head over to the App Store now. Both airlines are providing contest incentives to get people to use their apps. American, for example, is holding the "Mobile Million" contest. Just download and install their app by October 15th, play a few games of sudoku (among other things, the AA app has a built-in sudoku game...), and you could win one of many prizes, including the grand prize of one million AAdvantage miles. Delta started the war of the contests with their "One App. One Million Miles" contest, which runs through September 29th. The big prize here is one million Delta Sky Miles. You have to be a Sky Miles participant to enter this contest with the app. If you're not, it takes less than a minute to join the program. Although your ability to use all those frequent flyer miles is subject to availability of reward seats, it's still a heck of a prize, and it costs you nothing to enter either of the contests except a little bit of time. [Tip to Gadling from @LuxeTiffany]
American Airlines launches online widget to sniff out WiFi-equipped flights
You may bang on the legacy airlines, but American Airlines has a good thing going here with Gogo. The outfit has just completed installation of in-flight WiFi on 150 of its MD-80 aircraft, and in order to give you a better idea of how to prepare, it's now launching an online widget that'll let you know if your bird will enable web surfing when you get on. The tool is completely web-based, so any PC or smartphone can access it; the only real knock is that it only informs you of a "yes" or "no" 24 hours prior to departure, so it's still impossible to book a flight 3 months out and know for certain if you'll be able to hop online. This is definitely something that should be adopted by the other airlines (pronto!), but we can't help but dream of the day when something like this is unnecessary due to in-flight internet becoming completely ubiquitous. Ah, the future -- how you tease us so. Demonstration vid is after the break.
American bringing in-flight WiFi to over 300 planes
All hail the laggard! With pretty much every other US-based legacy carrier already on board, we were beginning to wonder if American Airlines even got the memo that in-flight WiFi was in serious demand. At long last, the company has made clear that it plans to equip more than 300 MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft used primarily in the United States with high-speed WiFi capability (over the next two years). If you'll recall, American announced early on that it was game for trialing the tech, but until today, it had yet to make a commitment large enough to make you consider signing up for its credit card and bankrolling those frequent flyer miles. We're expecting more details to emerge soon, but feel free to start pestering its agents with the whos, whats, wheres and whens.
Delta pushes in-flight WiFi plans ahead, Gogo to hit 2,000 planes in 2009
Here's something that doesn't happen everyday with legacy airlines -- an announcement that something is actually ahead of schedule. After hearing that Delta would equip its entire US fleet with Aircell's Gogo in-flight WiFi in 2009, along comes a release from Aircell that says otherwise. In fact, it proclaims that "Delta Air Lines is expected to launch service before the end of 2008." Furthermore, the company has confessed that "most major US carriers are in advanced discussions with or are already contractually committed to Aircell," which certainly bodes well for avid travelers who take issue with long periods of disconnection. Aircell is hoping to have its in-flight internet tech installed in 2,000 commercial aircraft by the end of 2009 -- talk about making the friendly skies "friendly" again.[Image courtesy of Gadling]
American Airlines goes live with in-flight WiFi service
At long last, "you are now free to surf the intarwebz while flying." Okay, so maybe it has been possible in the past, but American Airlines is taking a huge leap forward in the US market today by giving passengers aboard long-haul Boeing 767-200 flights the option to hop online during the trip. The GoGo service, which is being provided by Aircell, will charge customers $12.95 for access to the world wide web, though Reuters points out that VoIP calling is "not available." Delta, US Airways, et al. -- time to get with the program.[Via Dallas News, thanks Travis]
American Airlines rolling out in-flight WiFi to 15 more jets
American Airlines ran a "dress rehearsal" of its AirCell-powered in-fight WiFi service last month, and it looks like it was a success -- the airline is set to expand the trial to some 15 jets over the coming weeks, with tests expected to last six months. The tests are apparently more to evaluate the speed and reliability of the wireless connection, rather than to study the impact on the plane's avionics, so it looks like this is finally happening -- we'd recommend against wearing your WiFi-detector shirts through security, however.[Via Wired]
American Airlines to test in-flight WiFi tomorrow
You heard right, folks. American Airlines is planning to open up the world wide web to passengers on board an unspecified round-trip flight from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles. The Gogo service, provided via Aircell, will be free for patrons tomorrow, but will eventually run users $12.95 for flights greater than three hours and $9.95 for trips under said threshold. We're also told that more trials are expected to get going on flights between New York and San Francisco and New York and Miami, though no time frame is given for when the service would escape the beta stage and hit mass implementation. Additionally, the Gogo system is supposed to "prioritize the flow of data so that passengers downloading movies or large documents won't prevent other passengers from getting their email," so don't expect to use that excuse for not sending in those Q2 close reports.[Via Jaunted]
