United Airlines continues to hand out high-tech devices to its in-flight staff, in hopes of making their jobs easier. The airline was one of the first to bring iPads into the cockpit to replace pilots’ paper-based navigational charts and other heavy flight materials. Now, it’s handing out iPhone 6 Plus handsets to its flight attendants and customer service representatives to eliminate the need for safety manuals and better help them assist customers.
Updated on 12-01-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that United will give 6,000 customer service representatives iPhone 6 Plus units.
The program began with flight attendants, but United revealed it will expand the program to 6,000 customer service representatives. That way, United reps can help customers print boarding passes and baggage tags at the airport. The iPhones will also bring up alternate flight options, so that reps can assist fliers on the go.
In the future, the airline aims to make the full check-in process possible on its employees’ iPhone 6 Plus, so that when kiosks are full and there are long lines, harried fliers can check in quickly with United representatives.
The expansion of the program comes after an earlier move to bring the device to 23,000 flight attendants in 2015. Needless to say, the venture was a success. As soon as the flight attendants had the iPhone 6 Plus in hand, they were able to handle most transactions with the device, making it easier for customers to make in-flight purchases. They’re also able to access company email, United’s website, and the company’s Intranet. Policies and procedures manuals are even available for viewing on the phablet’s large screen.
“We are thrilled to make this investment in our flight attendants,” Sam Risoli, United’s senior vice president of in-flight services said in a statement. “iPhone 6 Plus will enable them to deliver an even higher level of flyer-friendly service and will offer our flight attendants simple, one-touch access to valuable work information, enabling them to better serve our customers.”
In the future, United aims to replace its flight attendants’ printed safety manual, and even provide real-time reports on conditions. In-flight staff will also be able to check on aircraft cabin issues and repairs, to keep passengers better informed. United is currently working on more consumer-focused applications for the devices, as well.
In addition to the new iPhones, United plans to renew its contract with Apple and replace the old iPads with new iPad Air 2 tablets in the near future.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.