Delta deploying 4500 Apple iPads at US airport restaurants

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Delta Air Lines announced on Wednesday that it has begun deploying iPads in restaurants at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, joining New York's LaGuardia Airport in serving customers food in 15 minutes or less.

Wednesday's kick-off utilizes 250 iPads, but will quickly expand to a total of 2,500 over the next 18 months. In all, Delta will have more than 4,500 iPads in use at three of its airport hubs over the next year alone.

Travelers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport can find iPads in use in Concourse G's MinniBar, Mimosa, and Shoyu. The iPads are being deployed in partnership with OTG, an airport-based food and beverage operator.

With iPads located inside airport restaurants in Minneapolis and LaGuardia, customers can order catered and customized meals through an intuitive visual menu. The food is then prepared fresh and served in 15 minutes or less.

Customers are also provided a browser that allows travelers to log into Facebook, Twitter and personal e-mail accounts. The iPads can also be used to check a flight's status, play games, and watch news video clips.

iPad


Once a customer is completed with the iPad, their personal information is securely removed immediately once the device's home button has been pressed. User information is also removed once the iPad has been left idle for two minutes.

"Delta is following through on our commitment to invest in our Minneapolis-St. Paul hub by improving the airport experience with these truly unique amenities," said Bill Lentsch, Delta?s senior vice president ? Minnesota Operations. "These enhancements on the ground coupled with our in-flight investments such as installing full flatbed seats in BusinessElite and Wi-Fi on more than 800 aircraft, make for a unique traveling experience on Delta that no other carrier can match."

Beyond the 250 iPads deployed on Wednesday, Delta and OTG have promised to have more than 2,500 iPads available for passengers to use in restaurants and gate-house areas in Minneapolis. St. Paul International Airport by the end of 2013. Delta and OTG have also deployed iPads in Terminals C and D of LaGuardia Airport.

"OTG and Delta are committed to dramatically improving a traveler?s airport experience. This deployment is extremely exciting because it allows us to share our vision of how we're making the new airport experience a reality," said Rick Blatstein, chief executive officer of OTG. "We continue to expand our offerings around the nation and now to the millions of travelers that come through Delta?s hub at MSP. Travelers flying through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be able to experience our customized technology along with quality, chef driven food."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member


    This is music to my ears.  Anything to help expedite and make a flier's life a little easier is welcoming news.  iPads are easy, intuitive, durable, and thanks to iOS, rock-solid!



    Hmmm... don't seem to read too much in the news about Android tablets penetrating anything more than a desk drawer.

  • Reply 2 of 33

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    This is music to my ears.  Anything to help expedite and make a flier's life a little easier is welcoming news.  iPads are easy, intuitive, durable, and thanks to iOS, rock-solid!



    Hmmm... don't seem to read too much in the news about Android tablets penetrating anything more than a desk drawer.



    Or the occasional wall.

  • Reply 3 of 33

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    This is music to my ears.  Anything to help expedite and make a flier's life a little easier is welcoming news.  iPads are easy, intuitive, durable, and thanks to iOS, rock-solid!



    Hmmm... don't seem to read too much in the news about Android tablets penetrating anything more than a desk drawer.



     


    Now if Delta could make flying less expensive and more ontime, I'll forgo the iPad, and instead bring my own (free WiFi would be nice in MSP too!)...


     


     


    and for someone who has a house under the MSP 35/17 runway flight path... SELL THOSE STAGE 2 MD-80s TO ELBONIA.... WHY AM I SHOUTING?  WHAT?  YES.  THEY ARE THAT G@D^(&ED LOUD HERE 2 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY!!!!

  • Reply 4 of 33
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member


    Waiting in airports just got even MORE fun! Who would have thought it possible?

  • Reply 5 of 33
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member


    Flying for many people is a tiresome and stressful activity, and the last thing that these people want is to sit down and use a horrible, unresponsive and crashy Android tablet while sitting in an airport. Using an iPad is an enjoyable experience, while using Android is anybody's worst nightmare.

  • Reply 5 of 33
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff View Post


     


    Now if Delta could make flying less expensive and more ontime, I'll forgo the iPad, and instead bring my own (free WiFi would be nice in MSP too!)...


     


     


    and for someone who has a house under the MSP 35/17 runway flight path... SELL THOSE STAGE 2 MD-80s TO ELBONIA.... WHY AM I SHOUTING?  WHAT?  YES.  THEY ARE THAT G@D^(&ED LOUD HERE 2 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY!!!!



    I agree... those MD-80's are crazy loud.  I bring earplugs in case I have to fly on one of those planes.



    As far as flying less-expensive, it's already bare-bones as it is and you see the direction that decision is taking the industry.  If I have a choice between two airlines, I (nowadays) always prefer paying more knowing I get better service, nicer planes, better (or serving) food, and of course happier flight-attendents.  One really sees the difference nowadays when paying an extra $20-$30 for a different airline compared to the cost-cutters.  Just my 2-cents.

  • Reply 7 of 33
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff View Post


     


    Now if Delta could make flying less expensive and more ontime, I'll forgo the iPad, and instead bring my own (free WiFi would be nice in MSP too!)...


     


     



     


    If tickets are expensive, it's not really the airline's fault, AFAIK. When I bought a ticket for a recent trip, about half of the price was for taxes.

  • Reply 8 of 33
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    sflocal wrote: »
    This is music to my ears.  Anything to help expedite and make a flier's life a little easier is welcoming news.  iPads are easy, intuitive, durable, and thanks to iOS, rock-solid!


    Hmmm... don't seem to read too much in the news about Android tablets penetrating anything more than a desk drawer.

    That can't be true. Everyone knows that iPads are toys and no one would ever buy one. /s

    sflocal wrote: »
    I agree... those MD-80's are crazy loud.  I bring earplugs in case I have to fly on one of those planes.

    They're not that bad. I fly in MD80s and Super80s (American) all the time. They're a little louder than some of the competition, but it's really not that noticeable a difference unless you're intentionally looking out for it.
    sflocal wrote: »
    As far as flying less-expensive, it's already bare-bones as it is and you see the direction that decision is taking the industry.  If I have a choice between two airlines, I (nowadays) always prefer paying more knowing I get better service, nicer planes, better (or serving) food, and of course happier flight-attendents.  One really sees the difference nowadays when paying an extra $20-$30 for a different airline compared to the cost-cutters.  Just my 2-cents.

    The only problem is that all the majors are equally bad. I'm approaching 4 million lifetime miles with experience on almost every major airline and none of the domestic airlines have any significant advantage over the others. JAL and Singapore Airlines are nice, but that's only for flights to Asia.
    "Apple wrote:
    [" url="/t/152211/delta-deploying-4500-apple-ipads-at-us-airport-restaurants#post_2178620"]
    If tickets are expensive, it's not really the airline's fault, AFAIK. When I bought a ticket for a recent trip, about half of the price was for taxes.

    For some flights, it's considerably over 1/2. And fuel makes up a large part of the rest.

    I was looking for flights to Europe over Christmas using a mileage award. Purchasing the ticket outright would be just over $1,000. Using miles for the ticket and paying just the taxes would cost me $700.
  • Reply 9 of 33
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    That can't be true. Everyone knows that iPads are toys and no one would ever buy one. /s

    They're not that bad. I fly in MD80s and Super80s (American) all the time. They're a little louder than some of the competition, but it's really not that noticeable a difference unless you're intentionally looking out for it.

    The only problem is that all the majors are equally bad. I'm approaching 4 million lifetime miles with experience on almost every major airline and none of the domestic airlines have any significant advantage over the others. JAL and Singapore Airlines are nice, but that's only for flights to Asia.

    For some flights, it's considerably over 1/2. And fuel makes up a large part of the rest.

    I was looking for flights to Europe over Christmas using a mileage award. Purchasing the ticket outright would be just over $1,000. Using miles for the ticket and paying just the taxes would cost me $700.




    I fly internationally.  When I have a choice between a US carrier and International (usually Europe), I take the international carrier usually even though it is generally more expensive because I know the service is (usually) much better.



    I do agree though that the US carriers in terms of service is generally the same - not good.  But heck, when people are choosing to fly the absolute cheapest flight, and then complain why the service/quality is bad.. WTF?  One gets what they pay for.  I understand that flying is expensive but when one can fly from SF to NY on a $90 special flight, something's gotta give eventually.

  • Reply 10 of 33

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    I agree... those MD-80's are crazy loud.  I bring earplugs in case I have to fly on one of those planes.



    As far as flying less-expensive, it's already bare-bones as it is and you see the direction that decision is taking the industry.  If I have a choice between two airlines, I (nowadays) always prefer paying more knowing I get better service, nicer planes, better (or serving) food, and of course happier flight-attendents.  One really sees the difference nowadays when paying an extra $20-$30 for a different airline compared to the cost-cutters.  Just my 2-cents.



     


    ugly loud when inside...outside: headache inducing when on the ground 700' below one taking off.   The only good thing is that 35/17 is placed such that they rarely use it for landings... then there is no 'scatter'  they have to be on the flight path.


     


    as for pricing, I agree on the taxes and fees... but comparatively, they were +$200 more expensive, even with lower cost planes (smaller crews) and routes (non-stop vs 1stop).   They've got MSP locked with 85% of the sorties, thus not enough competition to drive costs down

  • Reply 11 of 33


    Yet, they have the oldest average fleet of 16.2 years of any of the legacy carriers in the US.  Get newer, quieter, more fuel efficient planes and forgo the iPads.

  • Reply 12 of 33
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post



    They're not that bad. I fly in MD80s and Super80s (American) all the time. They're a little louder than some of the competition, but it's really not that noticeable a difference unless you're intentionally looking out for it.


    I have regular iPhone earbuds which I connected to my iPad to watch a video while flying. There was a lot of quiet dialogue in the film. The iPad, through those earbuds, is just not loud enough to be audible over the engine noise. I think I need headphones but those are kind of bulky to lug around.

  • Reply 13 of 33
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by GoonerYoda View Post


    Yet, they have the oldest average fleet of 16.2 years of any of the legacy carriers in the US.  Get newer, quieter, more fuel efficient planes and forgo the iPads.



    Unfortunately you can't trade 650 iPads for 1 nice new jet.  Not hardly.

  • Reply 14 of 33
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    jragosta wrote: »
    The only problem is that all the majors are equally bad. I'm approaching 4 million lifetime miles with experience on almost every major airline and none of the domestic airlines have any significant advantage over the others. JAL and Singapore Airlines are nice, but that's only for flights to Asia.
    I mostly agree with this.

    The only US domestic airline that is a little bit better is Virgin America. Their prices have steadily climbed as they have picked up more routes, not really the bargain they were when they started.
  • Reply 15 of 33
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    mstone wrote: »
    I have regular iPhone earbuds which I connected to my iPad to watch a video while flying. There was a lot of quiet dialogue in the film. The iPad, through those earbuds, is just not loud enough to be audible over the engine noise. I think I need headphones but those are kind of bulky to lug around.

    I found the Griffin add on kit for Apple's ear buds make a huge difference to both comfort and keeping out extraneous sounds especially when flying.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member


    Used an iPad based payment system at a restaurant in the California Sierra, Tioga Pass Resort: quick and easy and I got an emailed receipt for my records.

  • Reply 17 of 33

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


     


    If tickets are expensive, it's not really the airline's fault, AFAIK. When I bought a ticket for a recent trip, about half of the price was for taxes.





    Additionally, on average, recently, about 40% of the cost of a ticket goes to fuel, another charge that the airlines can do very little about.

  • Reply 18 of 33
    shoozzshoozz Posts: 26member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff View Post


     


    Now if Delta could make flying less expensive and more ontime, I'll forgo the iPad, and instead bring my own (free WiFi would be nice in MSP too!)...


     


     


    and for someone who has a house under the MSP 35/17 runway flight path... SELL THOSE STAGE 2 MD-80s TO ELBONIA.... WHY AM I SHOUTING?  WHAT?  YES.  THEY ARE THAT G@D^(&ED LOUD HERE 2 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY!!!!



     


    Let me please respond to the insanity of this post. You want travel to be less expense yet you want Delta to sell the capital intensive investment that earns them revenue and replace it with an even more expensive aircraft. That will surely lower ticket prices! And let me ask what came first, the MSP airport or the purchase of your home 2 miles the runway. I have experienced people who complained about the noise from an airport that was in continuous operation since 1917 and they were in their homes less than 2 years. IMHO you should't complain about a situation when you don't do your own due diligence. 

  • Reply 19 of 33
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff View Post


     


    Now if Delta could make flying less expensive and more ontime, I'll forgo the iPad, and instead bring my own (free WiFi would be nice in MSP too!)...


     


     


    and for someone who has a house under the MSP 35/17 runway flight path... SELL THOSE STAGE 2 MD-80s TO ELBONIA.... WHY AM I SHOUTING?  WHAT?  YES.  THEY ARE THAT G@D^(&ED LOUD HERE 2 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY!!!!



     


    I used to live in a house like that, the automatic pause in conversations when you hear a plane approaching.


     


    The rattling of crockery, the 6am curfew based "alarm clock" and 11pm last flight, missing vital parts of television shows,

  • Reply 20 of 33


    All Nippon Airways (ANA) is providing all of its pilots (about 2500) with iPads for maps and plans to save a bundle. 


     


     


    http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120828_44.html

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