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Apple says the devices helped streamline boarding, service and maintenance.
Andrew Blok
Associate Editor
Andrew Blok has been an associate editor at CNET covering HVAC and home energy, with a focus on solar since October 2021. As an environmental journalist, he navigates the changing energy landscape to help people make smart energy decisions. He’s a graduate of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State and wrote for several publications in the Great Lakes region, including Great Lakes Now and Environmental Health News since 2019. You can find him in western Michigan watching birds.
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By using iPads and iPhones across its operations, United Airlines has reduced passenger delays by 13 million minutes, Apple said. That’s the time equivalent of eliminating an hour delay for more than 216,000 passengers.
The statistic comes from a blog post on Apple’s website detailing its relationship with United Airlines. In a video accompanying the post, Linda Jojo, United’s vice president and chief customer officer, says United has been using iPads for over 10 years and that the airline has used more than 120,000 Apple devices.
A United Airlines employee specifically credited digitizing parts of the between-flight maintenance process, made possible by Touch ID, with a 10-minute reduction in turnaround time for flights.
As demand for flying rebounded after COVID-19 put a halt to most travel, delays and cancellations trended upward as well. Airline ticket prices are likewise elevated in the travel boom.
