American Airlines will be replacing current mobile devices for all frontline employees as well as line maintenance workers with new Apple iPhones and iPads.
In September 2012, American Airlines became the first commercial carrier with FAA approval to use Apple iPads in all phases of flight.
Gary Leff for View From the Wing:
American’s ever-excellent Chief Information Officer (and former AAdvantage head) Maya Leibman announced to employees today that the airline will be replacing current mobile devices for all frontline employees as well as line maintenance workers with new Apple mobile devices…
A spokesperson tells me, “We’re still working through the details on all of the devices and cell service, but we can confirm the Flight Attendant devices will support 5G.”
This comes two months after Delta announced they were upgrading all flight attendant devices to 5G iPhone 12s.
MacDailyNews Take: Congrats on getting the very best, real iPhones and iPads, American Airlines employees!
Here’s the message from CIO Maya Leibman:
One team, one technology platform for the frontline
Fellow team members,
In the past year, we’ve seen how technology has kept us personally connected in countless ways — from remote school to telehealth appointments to online grocery shopping. At American, we also used technology to respond quickly to the new needs of the pandemic, including touchless features on our kiosks and new ways of communicating via our mobile app.
No doubt the year has brought a lot of change, but one constant that remains is our dedication to both our customer and our team member experience. Given this commitment, we have decided to consolidate our frontline mobile devices onto Apple iPhones and iPads. Not only will this next-generation technology improve our customer and team member experience, but it will also allow our IT developers to create new apps on a single operating platform, Apple’s iOS.
Many of our frontline mobile devices have reached the end of their service life, so here’s what to expect as we replace these devices:
• Airport agents at [Reagan National Airport] DCA started testing iPhone 12s today. Following a successful test program, the devices will be rolled out to all agents over the next year, allowing agents to offer service to customers wherever they are in a terminal.
• AMTs in Line Maintenance have started receiving 7th generation iPads to support with the majority of their work. Once that rollout is complete by the end of June, they will no longer need to carry two different tablets for different aircraft and activities.
• Pilots will continue to use iPads as their electronic flight bags which we’ll continue to enhance over time. Recently, we added a real-time weather app and a new turbulence awareness app to the devices.
• Flight attendants’ new cabin electronic flight bag and customer service tool will be an iPhone 12, and distribution will begin in the first quarter of 2022. The new devices will have a customized payment attachment that will allow multiple forms of payment, including touchless.
We are excited about the value this new technology will bring and thank you for your dedication this summer as we continue to care for people on life’s journey.
