ANA joins the cult of Apple with iPad rollout
Hands up if you want an Android tablet instead.Just a week after Aussie airline Qantas jumped on the Apple bandwagon, we have word that Japanese carrier ANA has been out shopping for iPads too, albeit with more than in-flight entertainment in mind.
Instead, All Nippon Airways, to use the airline’s full name, is rolling out the tablets to cabin crew to help them do their jobs better.
Huge order
Details are sketchy at the minute -- deployment doesn’t start until next month, so the I.T. guys who placed the order for 6,000 iPads likely haven’t decided to go for "Real Racing 2" or "Angry Birds HD" yet.
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Still, the press release from Japan’s sole supplier of 3G iPads, Softbank Mobile, gives a few hints.
Safety issues
Among other tasks, the devices will be used to further “education and training services” using audio and video and to keep staff up-to-date on safety procedures.
There are also plans to manage crew rosters at certain airports, although there’s no word on whether they’ll all be forced to change to blue jeans and black turtlenecks.
