All Delta Airlines pilots to use M1 iPad Pros as flight bags

during the Ferry Flight from JFK to MCO, Thursday, March 29, 2018 ©Rank Studios

Another day, another big investment in Apple tech, this time with news from Delta Airlines of plans to upgrade all pilot electronic flight bags to the new iPad Pro with M1 and 5G.

Up, up and away

This isn’t the first big Apple deployment from Delta Airlines, which recently revealed intent to give all of its 19,000 flight attendants iPhone 12’s to help handle flight related tasks.

It’s the same deal for pilots – electronic flight bags are one of a pilot’s tools for use in pre-flight management tasks and processes. Flight data and aircraft load information are essential for every trip and delivered directly to each pilot’s EFB.

Today, EFB apps on iPad are custom-built specifically to take advantage of iPad Pro’s powerful hardware, helping pilots make efficient use of this information.

Innovative uses of sensors and other technology have made an increasing wealth of data available to pilots through their apps.

Delta pilots depend on reliable, high-performing cellular connectivity when Wi-Fi is not available to download this critical data. The AT&T 5G network can help pilots download data at speeds comparable to Wi-Fi, even while in transit to the airport or at the gate.

Almost every leading airline now gives pilots iPads

“What we’re seeing is that when 5G is paired together with iPad Pro and innovators like Delta Air Lines, the combination has the potential to not only transform their own business, but also to help shape the future of an entire industry. We’re proud to be in lockstep on this journey to unlock the potential of 5G connectivity,” said Rasesh Patel, EVP – Chief Product & Platform Officer, AT&T Business.

Delta will make use of the AT&T IoT Global SIM and AT&T Control Center to provide pilots a seamless device experience, helping them manage and troubleshoot the devices in over 200+ countries.

The news means nearly all of the top 50 global airlines now make use iPads in the cockpit to replace electronic flight bags (EFB), while over 70% are using Apple devices for cabin crew, and many also use them for ground and maintenance crews.

This is of course just one of many Apple deployments across the enterprise. Proving the old adage, as above, so below, Mass Mutual, ItalGas and Grab all recently confirmed major Mac deployments in those companies, while. iOS device use continues to expand exponentially.

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