An iPad used on Scoot Airlines as an in-flight entertainment screen
Scoot did generate revenue from the tablet rentals, and passengers were able to choose from a wider range of entertainment options and view their selections on a better resolution display than what the airline had been using. But even more rewarding for the airline was the money it saved on fuel and the additional capacity it added to the retrofitted planes. The weight of each of the planes using iPads for in-flight entertainment was reduced by 7% saving the airline on fuel costs, and passenger capacity rose by 40% on those aircraft.
So when Wilson took the CEO job at Air India last year, he remembered what worked at Scoot and by this past May, Air India announced that it had become one of Apple’s biggest iPad customers.
Whether its iPad purchases or something else was the main topic of discussion between Apple and Air India is not known. Others suggest that the airline has an interest in Apple’s extensive know-how in design or perhaps Air India would like help from Apple to cut its usage of carbon-based materials. Perhaps Air India will eventually reveal the specifics of the deeper collaboration it seeks with Apple.
