United Airlines today announced plans to equip 23,000 flight attendants with an iPhone 6 Plus.
Starting in the second quarter of 2015, the airline will give the Apple phablets to flight crews in order to handle onboard transactions and provide access to company policies and online manuals.
In the future the airline hopes the devices can replace the flight attendants’ printed safety manuals and provide real-time reporting and follow-up on cabin issues and repairs. United intends to develop its own customer service tools for the iOS device.
“iPhone 6 Plus will enable them to deliver an even higher level of flyer-friendly service and will offer our flight attendants simple, one-touch access to valuable work information, enabling them to better serve our customers,” Sam Risoli, United’s senior vice president of inflight services, said in a statement.
The decision to put the iPhone 6 Plus in the hands of United Airlines’ flight attendants comes after the airline renewed its program to give the iPad Air 2 to its pilots. Both moves are part of United’s plans to feature a paperless flight deck.
Last year, AT&T and Delta Airlines announced a similar arrangement that equipped 19,000 flight attendants with Nokia Lumia devices.
