Several dozen American Airlines flights were delayed overnight, after the pilots’ iPads — used for providing information to flight crews — failed prior to takeoff, leaving pilots without a flight plan.
iPad bug has @AmericanAir #737 fleet grounded Sitting at #DFW on #ATX bound plane because Captains iPad crashed
— Bill Jacaruso (@bjacaruso) April 29, 2015
@bjacaruso Some flights are experiencing an issue with a software application on pilot iPads. We’ll have info about your departure soon. — American Airlines (@AmericanAir) April 29, 2015
Pilot just told us ALL 737’s in American Airline fleet grounded…iPad shutdown glitch…wtf #apple we have no AC pic.twitter.com/4INSxMoeVN
— pmcrell (@pmcrell) April 29, 2015
@dfwairport I’m on an AA flight on the Tarmac b/c the pilot had an iPad crash. It’s the entire American Air fleet. Is it other airlines too? — Toni Jacaruso (@HotelNinja) April 29, 2015
“The pilot came on and said that his first mate’s iPad powered down unexpectedly, and his had too, and that the entire 737 fleet on American had experienced the same behavior,” one passenger has been quoted as saying. “It seemed unprecedented and very unfamiliar to the pilots.”
American Airlines switched to giving pilots an iPad “electronic flight back” back in 2013, becoming the first major commercial carrier to do so in the process.
The move was attributed to time-saving measures, reducing pilots’ injuries from lugging around heavy flight backs containing the books, and (apparently) also fuel costs — with the decreased weight reportedly saving more than $1 million in fuel costs every year.
It’s not necessarily Apple’s fault, though, and chances are that it isn’t. The software and data used on the in-flight iPads is provided by Jeppesen, a unit of Boeing Digital Aviation, as opposed to any standard-issue fare.
Source: QZ
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
8 responses to “iPad No-Air! Apple’s tablet grounds American Airline flights”
Your article may say it isn’t Apples fault, but your headline sure makes it sound like it is.
“It’s not necessarily Apple’s fault, though…”
The article didn’t backwalk it completely…don’t give them that much of an out.
When you modify stuff away from Apple Spec or introduce software that requires a JailBreak, you’re on your own. The author of this should have done more legwork and gotten solid info before dropping this derp piece on us.
How about changing that headline guys, that makes it sound like Apple’s fault. It’s not Apple’s fault. According to news sources it’s due to a problem with a third-party application being used by AA.
Well, it could actually be Apple’s issue. My iPad 4 has been restarting randomly since I updated to iOS 8.3. Now more often than before,
Nothing would be outside of the realm of possibility.
But the likelihood of *every* iPad, running the same custom software, going down at the same time, while not affecting every other iPad worldwide?
It would be exceptionally difficult to even conceive of how that could have anything to do with the hardware or OS, and not that custom software.
Jeppesen, the application developer, has taken responsibility for the issue and is rolling out a software update. Beats me how that can be blamed on Apple. People will still froth about that as if it is…
Sloppy headline writing. Makes it sound like it was written by Microsoft. Get a grip guys.
No it’s really NOT Apple’s fault after all.
9to5Mac: “American Airlines has confirmed that the problem was with a bad update to the Jepson app that added Ronald Reagan Airport map. The app provides maps of runways and more information to pilots. Until the app can be fixed, the airline has informed pilots of a workaround to prevent future delays.”