Alaska Airlines Decides to Go Paperless, Use iPads Instead

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 30 May 2011

Earlier today I was announcing the release of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary HD for iPad and I tried to emphasize the fact that in this day and age you do not need to use real paper when you have iPads, computers and other great tech.

I mean instead of using a real paper diary you could use a virtual diary, instead of using a real paper dictionary you could use Merriam-Webster Dictionary HD, and instead of using real paper flight manuals, you could use iPads, especially since the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved the use of iPads for flight charts among pilots for Executive Jet Management.

That is precisely the decision Alaska Airlines made – to go paperless and use iPads instead of traditional flight manuals. By using iPads instead of traditional flight manuals (initiative called “Bye, Bye, Flight Bag”), Alaska Airlines is enhancing flight safety, improving efficiency, and showing its support for the environment, the company said in a press release. By mid-June, iPads will replace the paper flight manuals that weighed in at up to 25 pounds – an iPad weighs 1.5 pounds.

"We've been exploring the idea of an electronic flight bag for several years, but never found a device we really liked," said Gary Beck, Alaska Airlines' vice president of flight operations. "When the iPad hit the market, we took one look at it and said this is the perfect fit."

Alaska Airlines also said that it is considering replacing paper aeronautical navigation charts with iPads as well (this initiative is also called “Bye, Bye, Flight Bag”). It is estimated that 2.4 million pieces of paper will be saved by replacing flight manuals and aeronautical navigation charts with iPads. With the money Alaska Airlines saves on paper, printing and distribution, it can finance the Bye, Bye, Flight Bag initiatives.


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