Mobile Technology

American Airlines adds Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets to in-flight menu

American Airlines will offer Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in premium cabins on selected flights from later this year
American Airlines will offer Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in premium cabins on selected flights from later this year

Samsung Mobile has sealed an agreement with AA that will see 6,000 of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets replace current personal in-flight screens on selected transcontinental and international flights from later this year. With passengers now being provided with tablet computers and cabin staff on some airlines also using them on the job, it only leaves the pilots - and they're set to join the tablet party in the not too distant future as well.

American Airlines will provide Galaxy Tab 10.1 devices exclusively to Premium Class passengers, so unfortunately there's no love for those in cattle class. Those who have paid a little bit more for flight tickets, however, will enjoy a customized version of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. There are no specifics on those modifications yet, apart from "expanded memory," however, a custom UI for accessing an onboard library of multimedia is practically a given.

While AA is claiming the title as the first air carrier to offer a tablet as an in-flight entertainment device for passengers, Virgin's cabin crew have been using tablet computers to take food and beverage orders for a few years now. But tablets look like becoming much more widespread. Following a successful trial last year that saw iPads rented to passengers for AUD$10 (approx US$10.60), Australian budget carrier Jetstar had planned an official launch for such a service by Christmas 2010. That date has now been pushed back a number of times but indications are the service will now be rolled out as the airline takes receipt of new aircraft from 2011 to 2015.

And tablets could also be making their way into aircraft cockpits. In February this year the Federal Aviation Administration gave its approval to charter airline service Executive Jet Management for in-cockpit use of iPads - not for playing Angry Birds, or Flight Control, but for pre- and in-flight course charting. Following the announcement, larger commercial airlines, such as Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines are now looking to adopt Apple's iPad for in-cockpit use as well.

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4 comments
Martin Rayner
I hope they wouldn\'t dream of using wireless communication on these tablets. We\'ve been told for so long of the dire consequences of using wireless on flight.
Calmmie
Flash is essential.
Gregg Eshelman
FLASH! Ah-aahhhhh! FLASH! Pish and tosh, I\'d just flip over to screen 3 on my Epic 4G and poke the Widgestoid button for airplane mode and read my e-books. Why pay extra to the airlines?
neutrino23
LOL. Everyone in first class already has an iPad. The pilots already have iPads. Half the rest of the plane has an iPad. This is just a way for Samsung to try to bolster its claimed number of units sold. Probably gave them to AA at no charge. Maybe even paid them to use them.