Microsoft announced last month that Delta Air Lines will equip more than 19,000 flight attendants with Windows Phone 8 devices. More specifically, the flight attendants will have Nokia Lumia 820 devices to run credit cards, perform seat upgrades, and more. Now, a new report confirms that pilots will also receive some Microsoft love.
Delta Air Lines will soon be offering Surface 2 tablets to its pilots, in an attempt to woo them away from the Apple iPad which they currently use. “Delta currently allows pilots to bring their own iPads with them on flights. But with the move to company-standard Surface 2 devices, that could be changing. It wants ‘current iPad Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) users to transition to a company-issued device,'” WindowsITPro stated in a report today.
Apparently this will occur in less than two years and Delta cockpits will feature the newly announced Surface 2 tablet, which runs Microsoft’s Windows RT 8.1 platform. The 757 and 767 fleet will be the first airlines to make the transition to the Surface 2, and the 777, 747, and MD88 will make the transition soon after.
Delta originally wanted to use a Windows RT tablet from Nokia, but that plan has been scrapped for unknown reasons. Nokia has yet to unveil a Windows RT tablet.
On the other hand, using the Lumia 820 smartphone, flight attendants can now run credit card information for those who want to purchase snacks, upgrade their seats, rent headsets, and make other in-flight purchases. Delta Air Lines can also utilize these smartphones, along with Microsoft Dynamics and Avanade, to allow for electronic receipts and coupons.
Score another victory for Microsoft’s Surface platform!
