UK-based air carrier, British Airways, is to provide its pilots with iPad electronic devices as part of an operational efficiency drive.
The IAG-owned company is providing all 3,600 of its pilots with iPads as a step towards improving customer service and operational efficiency levels.
The airline’s cabin crews and ground operation staff have been issued with the devices previously, as part of a programme of investment in new equipment and technology, costing £5bn, which is intended to help provide the company’s passengers with the best possible flying experience.
The pilots will use the devices to access additional operational data in real time that will be shared with, and augmented by, ground crews. The up-to-date information should assist them in planning a flight more efficiently and provide passengers with more accurate flight information than would previously have been available.
Passengers will, in turn, be able to use the information regarding changes to their flight arrangements to amend their own plans. British Airways also claims that with the historic and current data supplied by the passenger, pilots will be able to provide a more personalised in-flight service.
Captain Stephen Riley, British Airways’ director of flight operations, said, ‘As pilots we want to deliver a safe and memorable experience for each and every British Airways customer, on every single flight. The iPads will help us to achieve this goal by giving us the means to provide a more personalised service and share more timely flight information with our customers and colleagues.’
In support of Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day, BA is presenting the ‘Highest 80’s Gig in the Sky’ on Sunday March 10. The event, which will feature 80’s pop stars including Bananarama and Kim Wilde, is an attempt to break the ‘Highest Concert’ Guinness World Record.
