Hotels have handed iPads to guests for room services and armed concierges with tablets, now it's time for an airline to see if cabin crew can make use of them, too.
British Airways is piloting a scheme from this week to give cabin crew an iPad to handle passenger management on selected flights.
The trial with 100 members of crew will see passenger manifests included on the device, replacing the "long scroll of paper", as well as detailed information on each customer.
As well as ensuring all passengers have boarded, the idea is that the iPad will allow crew to identify where each customer is sitting, their Executive Club status and any special meal requirements, also giving them a "greater understanding" of previous travel arrangements.
Other features will include timetables for forward flights, safety manuals and customer service updates.
BA also says it will help crew manage any problems during boarding more easily as they will be able to log issues with ground-based staff via the device, so (hopefully!) "solutions can be delivered while the flight is airborne".
"When all the passengers have boarded and just before the doors are shut, cabin crew are currently handed a long scroll of paper, listing up to 337 customers. With the new iPads cabin crew will simply refresh their screen when the doors have closed through wireless 3G networks and they will have a complete list of passengers on board."
BA's trial comes a few months after Alaska Airlines announced it is giving iPads to pilots to replace printed manuals in the cockpit.
Pilots on every aircraft on the network now have an iPad, after a successful trial to see if the device could replace existing flight documentation.
Each device has PDF versions of system and performance manuals, reference cards and other documentation for each aircraft. The airline says the manuals will be easier to use as each guide has hyperlinks and quick navigation between pages.