American Airlines Had to Delay Several Flights Due to an iPad App Glitch
Airline delays are inevitable.
Fly often enough, and you’re sure to have your flight held up due to weather, maintenance issues, or the ever-mysterious transfer of the plane crew.
But did you ever think an iPad would be the reason your plane was running late?
That’s exactly what happened to American Airlines passengers on April 28th, when a glitch in one of the airline’s iPad apps resulted in several of its planes having to be grounded, according to Quartz.
The issue impacted the planes’ flight plan information, which pilots access via their on-board iPads. Without flight information, the American Airlines couldn’t let its planes take off.
In a statement to The Verge, an American Airlines spokesperson explained that some pilots were able to bring their planes back to their gates where they were able to connect to an available Wi-Fi signal and fix the problem.
Several passengers took to Twitter to express their displeasure with the situation, with some tweeting from the tarmac about their experiences. (Though, come to think of it, shouldn’t they have had their phones in airplane mode at that point? For shame.)
American Airlines switched over from forcing pilots to carry upwards of 25 pounds of paper flight materials to an electronic “flight bag” in 2013.
The iPad-based system makes it easier for pilots and co-pilots to find flight information, while also reducing fuel cost by cutting weight.
According to America Airlines, the difference between the iPad system and paper system saves the company more than 400,000 gallons of fuel each year, resulting in a cost savings of $12 million. That’s a hefty chunk of change.
And though the flight delays were certainly annoying for passengers, at least it gave them another few minutes to download their inflight movies before they took off.
Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.
