Last year, Delta Air Lines canceled fewer flights than any other airline, scratching just 0.3 percent of its flights. That’s more than five times better than the industry average. It’s an obsession for Delta, an airline that once ranked near rock-bottom for cancellations, and as The Wall Street Journal explains, the company strives for zero-cancellation days in some very unorthodox ways.
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With the FAA warming up to use of personal electronic devices during all phases of the flight, it is now up to airlines to offer reliable connectivity options to their passengers. In-flight Wi-Fi is nothing new, but some airlines have been limited to offering the service within the country, Delta is one of those airlines. While the airline was one of the first to latch on to Gogo’s in-flight Wi-Fi service and start offering it on routes in the U.S., it is yet to do so on flights that go across the pond and further. Fliers on Delta should now be relieved as the airline could start offering in-flight Wi-Fi on international routes as soon as next month.
Delta International In-Flight Wi-Fi Rollout Could Begin By March original content from Ubergizmo. 
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The FAA has finally relaxed personal electronic device usage rules during various phases of the flight. Passengers can now use a number of electronic devices such as tablets and e-readers gate to gate. With that done and dusted, passengers now look towards the possibility of in-flight voice calls, and as per recent reports the FCC is certainly looking into it. Now some might say that letting people make voice calls would irk their fellow passengers who are essentially trapped in a giant tube some 30,000 feet up in the air, and it appears that Delta CEO Richard Anderson agrees. In a memo to employees, Anderson says that allowing in-flight phone calls would be a “disruption to the travel experience.”
A change to FCC rules won’t bind airlines to adopt them, and thus allow their passengers to make in-flight phone calls. Delta certainly isn’t standing alone, both Virgin America and Southwest Airlines have hinted that they too might not go down this path even if the FCC makes changes to its rules. Anderson has already laid down the law that Delta isn’t going to allow phone calls during the flight either over VoIP or through cell services. The commission has already clarified that the final decision will rest with the airlines, so even if changes are made, it is not likely that every single airline will adopt them.
Delta CEO Against In-Flight Voice Calls original content from Ubergizmo. 
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For the longest time, we have been asking this particular question – will turning on and using our portable electronic devices actually be detrimental to the flight of an aircraft? Would it result in the plane nosediving because its electronics have been scrambled by someone sitting right at the tail end of the plane with his CD player rolling (yes, I am retro is asking this question)? So far, we have not heard of any official stories that the use of portable electronic devices in mid-flight has caused any crashes, and let us hope that the clean record does not get broken, ever. Perhaps the folks over at Delta Air Lines want to change the way the commercial aviation industry works, by being the first US airline to allow its passengers to use their portable electronic devices as long as the plane remains below 10,000 feet in the sky.
When will this happen? Well, it could already have as early as the beginning of this month, pending Federal Aviation Administration approval. After all, the entire fleet of Delta aircraft have already completed carrier-defined PED tolerance testing in order to make sure of the safe operation of passenger portable electronic devices regardless of which flight phase it is in, and Delta’s plan has already been submitted to the FAA for approval.
Over 570 of the mainline domestic aircraft remain ready to allow customer use of e-readers, tablets, and smartphones, all in airplane mode, during taxi, takeoff and landing on domestic flights. That ought to be a boon to all travelers if approved, especially when you consider how most of us these days already have an unlimited data account, making it possible to tweet right there and then as to what you are going to have as your meal. OF course, should you happen to be in a flight that is above 10,000 feet, then there will always be the option of in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity to help you remain connected. Would in-flight connectivity at your own expense below 10,000 feet be enough to help you switch airlines the next time you want to fly?
Press Release
[ Delta Air Lines ready to change the way flights work with the use of portable electronic devices allowed in-flight copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
It’s been a long time since flying was fun (unless you are reading this on the upper deck of a 747, of course). This week, however, things got a bit more bearable thanks to the FAA’s decision that airlines can now allow their passengers to keep their gadgets on – in airplane mode – during taxi, takeoff and landing. The first two airlines to actually put this into practice are Delta and JetBlue.
Both say that they have worked closely with the FAA to evaluate the impact of gate-to-gate personal electronics use and have completed testing to ensure that the use of personal electronic devices during all phases of flights is safe on its planes.
Other airlines will surely follow soon, but the fact that every airline has to go through testing and get FAA approval will lead to quite a bit of confusion. We’ll hear about irate passengers on United, American or Southwest who refuse to power down their electronics after the boarding door has closed. It’s also worth noting that for Delta, this new rule only applies to mainline flights. Passengers on Delta Connections flights, which are operated by a number of regional airlines, will still have to follow the old rules until at least the end of the year.
Under the FAA’s guidance, virtually all small, lightweight gadgets are classified as “personal electronic devices.” Laptops and anything larger than a tablet, however, still need to be stowed during taxi, takeoff and landing just like before. The same goes for gadgets that were previously banned from in-flight use, including e-cigarettes, televisions, and remote-control toys.
All of this doesn’t mean that in-flight Wi-Fi will now be available until the flight passes 10,000 feet, however. Gogo, which powers the vast majority of in-flight Wi-Fi in the U.S., is evaluating the possibility of allowing connections from gate-to-gate, but in its current form, the service simply doesn’t work under 10,000 feet.
The Air Line Pilots Association, by the way, says it supports the FAA’s decision and was involved in the FAA’s rulemaking process. The organization, however, notes that it believes that electronics should be stowed for takeoff and landing and that “relying on passengers to selectively turn off their devices in areas of extremely poor weather is not a practical solution.” Under the new FAA guidance, passengers will still have to turn their electronics off when low visibility requires the use of some landing systems.
In case you are confused about when and where exactly you can now play Dots on the plane, here is a chart from our friends at Delta:
Virgin America, the airline that invented the sassy in-flight safety video, has rolled out a brand new sassy in-flight safety video: A live-action musical number. It’s still heads and shoulders above most airlines, but is it the best?
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A few days back we picked up on a report which claimed that Delta pilots will be equipped with Microsoft’s new Surface 2 tablets. It should be noted that back in 2011 the airline ran an Electronic Flight Bag program under which its pilots were provided with iPads to use instead of the traditional paper based flight bags. The report claimed that Delta would instead opt for the Surface 2, despite the fact that iPads are already being widely used both in the cabin and in the cockpits as well by various airlines. Delta has confirmed today that it is going to equip 11,000 of its pilots with Microsoft’s latest tablet.
It was said that Delta initially wanted to go with Nokia’s much rumored tablet, but they opted for the Surface 2. It is not known exactly why Delta made this decision, but then again, it isn’t known for sure if the airline ever considered Nokia’s yet to be unveiled tablet in the first place. Surface 2 tablets will be rolled out to pilots flying the Boeing 757 and the Boeing 767 fleets later this year, while all Delta cockpits will switch to the tablet by the end of next year. Delta projects that using tablets instead of heavy paper bags would save the airline $13 million in fuel and other associated costs.
Delta Confirms It Will Give Surface 2 Tablets To 11,000 Pilots original content from Ubergizmo. 
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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Back in 2011 Delta Airlines ran an Electronic Flight Bag program from its pilots, the tablets used back then were iPads. In fact, the iPad is already in widespread use in the airline industry, both in cabins and cockpits. Microsoft might finally be getting a piece of the pie. WindowsITPro reports that Delta Airlines has informed its pilots that it will be equipping them with the recently announced Surface 2 Windows 8.1 RT tablets. The move is expected to take nearly two years, after which every Delta pilot will be touting Microsoft’s latest tablet, and they won’t have to carry heavy paper based flight bags.
Apparently the airline initially wanted to go for Nokia’s much rumored tablet. The problem is that Nokia hasn’t unveiled it as yet. So Delta has reportedly scrapped plans of going with the Finnish manufacturers tablet and has instead opted for Microsoft’s new tablet over the iPad. The Surface 2 tablets won’t be the first Windows powered device that the airline will provide its employees. Earlier this year, Delta equipped over 19,000 of its flight attendants with Windows Phone devices. The relationship between both Microsoft and Delta appears to be going well, its definitely a win for Redmond to get its tablet rolled out across one of the major airlines in the U.S.
Delta Pilots To Reportedly Get Surface 2 Tablets original content from Ubergizmo. 
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