Emirates Adopts HP ElitePad 900 Windows 8 Tablets For Flight Crew

Windows 8 might not see a lot of adoption from businesses, but Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, has announced that it plans to equip its flight crew with 1,000 HP ElitePad 900 tablets running Windows 8, and the company has developed a Windows 8-based app for the HP tablet to help its crews provide better in-flight service.

Emirates will start rolling out the tablets in January 2013 with only 100 tablets. This is to get the flight crew acquainted with the tablets and have them seamlessly integrated into the system before the company rolls out all 1,000 tablets by the end of 2013. The 1,000 tablets will be enough to cover all flights for the airline.

The app provides the ability for the pilots to brief the cabin crew before every flight, conduct in-flight upgrades to business class or first class, and get customer feedback that is immediately sent to headquarters upon landing. The app also stores details on previous trips, any issues a customer had during their travels, and preferences for specific passengers (food, wine, seating, etc.).

At the end of the day, this is a small win for Microsoft, and it shows that there is some interest among businesses to use Windows 8. While some airlines have chosen to use iPads and even Android tablets, the adoption of Windows 8 devices by Emirates may entice more businesses to go that same route.