Surface Pro tablet: Last week, Microsoft rolled out the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets and already has its first big customer. Delta Airlines will outfit 700 planes with Surface 2 tablets, hoping to go paperless by 2014.

By

Karis Hustad, Contributor /
October 2, 2013

A Delta Airlines Airbus A320 passenger jet taxis at the Salt Lake City international airport, in Salt Lake City, Utah, in Nov. 2012. Delta will take delivery on new Microsoft Surface Pro tablets for their aircraft fleet.

George Frey/Reuters/File

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Microsoft lost big on its last Surface tablet model, but now it appears things for the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are lifting off in a big way.

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Delta Airlines announced a partnership with Microsoft to purchase 11,000 Surface 2 tablets to replace heavy pilot flight bags. Initially, this will be rolled out on 700 Boeing 757 and 767 planes, with the goal of going totally paperless by 2014.

In a blog post, Delta Senior Vice President, Captain Steve Dickinson, says the move is motivated by saving fuel costs and cutting carbon emissions. The 38-pound flight bags pilots ordinarily use are loaded down with maps, charts, checklists, and reference materials, and transferring the data to the 1.5 pound tablets will reduce fuel usage by 1.2 million gallons per year, he says. This means a 26 million pound reduction in annual emissions (like taking 2,600 cars off the road).

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How safe is flying? Take the aviation safety quiz

But it isn’t just fuel emissions that motivate Delta. In a video, Capt. Dickinson adds that the two-application screen offers pilots a way to run a static and real-time app at the same time (like navigation and weather conditions), which is ideal for the changing nature of each flight.

Delta, the no. 2 airline carrier in the country, has worked with Microsoft in the past. Currently Delta’s training software runs on Windows, and this August it announced Microsoft would outfit 19,000 flight attendants with the Nokia Lumia 820 Windows phone for in-flight services like beverages and seat assignments.

But it hasn’t always been this way. After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Apple iPads for cockpit use in 2011, Delta started trials with the iPad which many Delta pilots liked, according to Apple Insider. American Airlines currently uses iPads in all 8,000 of its cockpits for all-phase flight use. As of now, the Surface 2 is not cleared for all-phase flight, though Delta says they expect the FAA approval to come by next year. Despite this, Delta went ahead with the Microsoft deal. 

This news comes on the heels of Microsoft’s new tablet roll out last week. The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are slated to go on sale to the public in late October, the lighter Surface 2 retailing for $449 and the more technical Surface Pro 2 for $899. Delta declined to comment whether it would purchase the Surface 2 for the consumer price or a special price from Microsoft.

Microsoft ran into problems selling its last Surface model, and ended up paying $900 million for unsold merchandise. It hopes this model, with fine-tuned details and a focus on quality hardware, will fare better in an increasingly competitive tablet market.

Surface Pro tablet: Last week, Microsoft rolled out the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets and already has its first big customer. Delta Airlines will outfit 700 planes with Surface 2 tablets, hoping to go paperless by 2014.

By

Karis Hustad, Contributor /
October 2, 2013

A Delta Airlines Airbus A320 passenger jet taxis at the Salt Lake City international airport, in Salt Lake City, Utah, in Nov. 2012. Delta will take delivery on new Microsoft Surface Pro tablets for their aircraft fleet.

George Frey/Reuters/File

Enlarge

Microsoft lost big on its last Surface tablet model, but now it appears things for the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are lifting off in a big way.

Skip to next paragraph

• In Pictures
  Supersonic planes

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Subscribe Today to the Monitor

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Delta Airlines announced a partnership with Microsoft to purchase 11,000 Surface 2 tablets to replace heavy pilot flight bags. Initially, this will be rolled out on 700 Boeing 757 and 767 planes, with the goal of going totally paperless by 2014.

In a blog post, Delta Senior Vice President, Captain Steve Dickinson, says the move is motivated by saving fuel costs and cutting carbon emissions. The 38-pound flight bags pilots ordinarily use are loaded down with maps, charts, checklists, and reference materials, and transferring the data to the 1.5 pound tablets will reduce fuel usage by 1.2 million gallons per year, he says. This means a 26 million pound reduction in annual emissions (like taking 2,600 cars off the road).

RECOMMENDED:

How safe is flying? Take the aviation safety quiz

But it isn’t just fuel emissions that motivate Delta. In a video, Capt. Dickinson adds that the two-application screen offers pilots a way to run a static and real-time app at the same time (like navigation and weather conditions), which is ideal for the changing nature of each flight.

Delta, the no. 2 airline carrier in the country, has worked with Microsoft in the past. Currently Delta’s training software runs on Windows, and this August it announced Microsoft would outfit 19,000 flight attendants with the Nokia Lumia 820 Windows phone for in-flight services like beverages and seat assignments.

But it hasn’t always been this way. After the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Apple iPads for cockpit use in 2011, Delta started trials with the iPad which many Delta pilots liked, according to Apple Insider. American Airlines currently uses iPads in all 8,000 of its cockpits for all-phase flight use. As of now, the Surface 2 is not cleared for all-phase flight, though Delta says they expect the FAA approval to come by next year. Despite this, Delta went ahead with the Microsoft deal. 

This news comes on the heels of Microsoft’s new tablet roll out last week. The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are slated to go on sale to the public in late October, the lighter Surface 2 retailing for $449 and the more technical Surface Pro 2 for $899. Delta declined to comment whether it would purchase the Surface 2 for the consumer price or a special price from Microsoft.

Microsoft ran into problems selling its last Surface model, and ended up paying $900 million for unsold merchandise. It hopes this model, with fine-tuned details and a focus on quality hardware, will fare better in an increasingly competitive tablet market.

Delta Air Lines, which had earlier equipped its 19,000 flight attendants with Nokia Lumia 820 handsets, is now going to give Surface 2 tablets to its 11,000 pilots.

Surface 2 tablet (Photo from Microsoft)

Pilots will be using the tablets to access flight and weather information through apps such as FliteDeck Pro and the Weather app.

The tablets will also have stored in them charts, navigational aids and checklists that replace the paper manuals and documents formerly in the pilots’ flight bags, according to the company.

Replacing the pilots’ traditional 38-pound flight bags with the much lighter tablets is expected to save the airline some $13 million a year in fuel usage and other costs, according to the two companies.

The airline may also create its own custom apps, and put its operations manuals on the device, said Brian Hall, a general manager with Microsoft’s Surface team.

Delta still needs to receive approval from the FAA to allow the pilots to use the tablets during all phases of flights — something the company expects to happen next year, according to the news release from Microsoft and Delta.

While Microsoft has focused on marketing Surface RT — the Surface 2′s predecessor, which did not sell well — as a consumer device, it seems to be taking a broader approach to the Surface 2 marketing.

Delta’s decision to go with Surface 2 for its pilots, Hall said, is “an important signal that Surface a great tablet for businesses.”

The airline likely chose the Surface 2, which runs on a variant of Windows 8.1 specifically designed for power-sipping ARM-based chips, over the more powerful Surface Pro 2 because it’s less expensive while able to do the necessary tasks, Hall said.

While Microsoft is positioning Surface Pro 2 as a laptop replacement, it’s positioning Surface 2 as a straight tablet with some laptop capabilities. “For anyone who doesn’t need legacy Windows support, Surface 2 is really the best option now,” Hall said.

Both Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are scheduled to launch on Oct. 22.

When I attended the Surface 2 event in New York City, I came away impressed with the new tablet. Its versatility and improved battery performance make the Windows RT device quite intriguing. While I like the Surface 2, it was the Blades that really impressed me — I like the way that they could focus an experience on a particular task. Today, Microsoft announces that Delta Airlines is buying 11,000 Surface 2 tablets.

While the airline is not leveraging customized Blades, it has still found great value in Surface and the Windows RT platform. Microsoft says that Delta “is equipping its 11,000 pilots with electronic flight bags using the Microsoft Surface 2 tablet. Device rollout to pilots flying the Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 fleets will start later this year and all Delta cockpits are projected to be paperless by the end of 2014”. It seems Delta is a fan of Windows as the company is also equipping its flight attendants with Windows Phone.

“The Surface tablets fully integrate handheld technology in the flight deck, streamlining organization of necessary materials and ensuring continuity of information accessed by pilots while giving them the latest tools to drive operational and cost improvements. The reduction of paper in the cockpit also reduces clutter and allows pilots to spend more time focusing on flying the aircraft as they will benefit from an intuitive user interface with functions to find key information faster without having to hunt for appropriate manuals in flight bags or page through paper documents”, says the Redmond, Wash.-based company.

Brian Hall, Surface General Manager at Microsoft says, “this announcement demonstrates Delta’s absolute commitment to bringing the best in technology innovation onto their flight operations. The full HD Surface screen and 10-hour battery life will be perfect for flights where Delta pilots will get seamless real-time data and visualization in a variety of lighting conditions. And then they can be productive off the plane with Microsoft Office and our click-in keyboard. We look forward to seeing how Delta amazes us with its Surface tablets”.

While the Surface 2 improves safety and productivity, it will also save fuel and reduce the airline’s carbon footprint. The Surface Tablet manufacturer says, “rolling out the Surface 2 tablets across the entire fleet and eliminating paper in the cockpit means the carrier will remove traditional 38-pound pilot flight bags maintained on board aircraft for each pilot. That critical weight reduction is expected to reduce fuel usage by an estimated 1.2 million gallons per year which translates to a 26 million pound reduction in carbon emissions — the equivalent of taking more than 2,500 passenger cars off the road. Additionally, the tablet will cut the airline’s paper usage by 7.5 million sheets annually and save an estimated 900 trees each year”.

Overall, it seems to be win-win all-around. Reducing fuel usage and improving safety is always a huge plus. However, increasing Surface and Windows RT usage is also a great benefit to Microsoft. Quite frankly, knowing that Windows RT is essentially being trusted with human life is a big feather in the struggling operating system’s cap; if a major airline is trusting its reputation to it, maybe consumers should too.

In a major sales coup for Microsoft, Delta Airlines announced plans to replace pilots’ flight bags with Surface 2 tablets. Up to 11,000 tablets will be rolled out on 700 planes worldwide.

Skift’s Jason Clampet says the move will help airlines save on fuel costs.

“This announcement demonstrates Delta’s absolute commitment to bringing the best in technology innovation into their flight operations. The full HD Surface screen and ten-hour battery life will be perfect for flights where Delta pilots will get seamless real-time data and visualization in a variety of lighting conditions. And then they can be productive off the plane with Microsoft Office and our click-in keyboard. We look forward to seeing how Delta amazes us with its Surfaces,” Microsoft’s Brian Hall said in a release.

But for tablet and travel industry observers, the amazing thing might be the future ramifications of this deal. Redmond has struggled to find customers for the Surface, and the aviation industry largely prefers iPads. There’s no word on whether Microsoft gave Delta preferential pricing in the deal, or how Delta will juggle firmware updates with FAA requirements.

Delta Airlines has continued its Windows device journey, announcing that it will provide Microsoft Surface 2 tablets to its 11,000 pilots worldwide.

The news follows an announcement in August that Delta would deploy Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones to 19,000 flight attendants for on-board purchases.

Delta said it hopes to make all of its cockpits paperless by the end of 2014, with pilots using the Surface devices to digitally access charts, checklists and reference documents using the Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro app. The airline will begin deploying Surface 2 devices to Boeing 757 and 767 pilots later this year.

Delta expects the tablet deployment to save $13 million per year in fuel and associated costs because it will remove the need to carry 17 kilogram flight bags on the aircraft. This will deliver an annual fuel usage saving of 4.5 million litres, or 11.8 million kilograms in carbon emissions. The tablet rollout is also expected to cut the airline’s yearly paper usage by 7.5 million sheets.

The tablets are Windows RT 8.1 versions of Microsoft’s Surface line, which means they run on ARM processors and have longer battery life than the Intel Haswell-equipped Surface Pro 2. The RT devices do not run legacy Windows apps.

“This intuitive device puts key information at their fingertips right when they need it,” said Delta senior vice president, Steve Dickson. “By eliminating paper, we’ll reduce clutter and minimise time spent looking for flight information allowing our pilots the opportunity for greater situational awareness in the air and on the ground.”

Going digital is part of a broader modernisation initiative at Delta, Dickson said.

“With these improvements, we’re able to reduce the airline’s environmental impact while providing a great deal of flexibility to continue to add mobile technology solutions into our flying operations.”

Qantas last year announced a similar initiative to reduce environmental impact by giving tablets to pilots, but the big Australian airline chose to deploy Apple iPads.

Microsoft announced its new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets late last month, about one year after the launch of the original Surface RT and Surface Pro. Microsoft has had trouble selling the original Surface tablets and analysts say enterprise adoption of Surface has been low in Australia.

While business adoption of Microsoft mobile devices has been slow, the company has the advantage of already being in front of CIOs’ eyes in other areas and Windows remains the dominant business PC operating system, Telsyte analyst Rodney Gedda said in a recent interview.

Microsoft has “existing relationships with enterprises [and] it’s a very competitive company that doesn’t take no for answer,” he said.

Follow Adam Bender on Twitter: @WatchAdam

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia

Delta Airlines is equipping its 11,000 pilots worldwide with
Microsoft Surface 2 devices for their electronic flight bags (EFBs). The new
devices will replace the current paper versions of the EFBs, and provide
electronic access to key charts, reference documents and checklists. The move
is expected to save the airline US$13mn per year in fuel and associated costs.

As we had shared with you earlier, in the month of August, Delta
Airlines equipped its 19, 000 flight attendants with Nokia Lumia 820 handsets
powered by Windows 8 to enhance passenger experience and improve on-board
purchase process.

The deployment means that from cockpit to cabin, Delta flight
crews will now have access to the full, connected range of Microsoft devices
and services, demonstrating their commitment to bringing innovation onto their
flights – from real-time data and visualization for their pilots, to the best
possible service for their customers in the cabin.

It would appear that Delta airlines are bucking some device trends this upcoming travel season in a move that will have Microsoft pleased. Though the airline had been working with Apple’s iPad slate for some time now, they’ve begun transitioning to the Microsoft-made Surface 2. This tablet is up for pre-order as of the 24th of September, and will begin appearing on doorsteps and in stores on the 22nd of October here in the United States.

Meanwhile Delta also began transitioning pilots and flight attendants to Windows Phone 8 devices for flights. This move in combination with the Surface 2 push makes it appear that Delta has some big plans in the near future regarding apps and service support. For the iPad there’s an entertainment-aimed glass-bottomed jet app for the masses – that’s for the passengers though, not so much for the pilots or the flight attendents.

Delta’s pilots have until been allowed – not issued – iPads in the cockpit with a BYOD (bring your own device) program. They’ll be switching to a standard with the Surface 2 soon. Extremely soon, if word from WindowsITPro is to be believed. There Paul Thurrott also provided the following note from Delta to its employees.

“In less than two years, Delta cockpits will be paperless as we roll-out the Microsoft Surface 2 tablet running Windows 8.1 RT as our company-issued device. The 757/767 fleet will be the first to make the transition with the 777, 747 and MD88 as fast followers. Look for an announcement from Delta and Microsoft in the coming days about our partnership on the initiative.”

Thurrott also suggested that – in accordance with the Nokia Lumia 820 being handed out to flight attendants (nearly 19,000 of them in all), Nokia was originally supposed to be the manufacturer of the first Windows RT tablet for the airline. That’s the codenamed “Sirius” Nokia tablet, if you’re wondering – now replaced by the Surface 2 for unknown reasons.

You’ll find American Airlines handing iPads to their pilots to cut down on the use of physical manuals and books, having gotten approval for this move in March of 2013. Over at Hawaiian Airlines, iPad mini rentals are live in effect.

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