Anyone who’s visited a commercial airplane cockpit will tell you there’s no lack of electronics on the flight deck. But there’s usually a whole lot of paper in there, too. That 77-pound black briefcase you saw the pilot lug up the gangway didn’t contain the copy of War and Peace he intends to read over Omaha: It’s stuffed with navigational charts, weight and balance data, and operating manuals.Some airlines are replacing many of these paper-based processes with electronic flight bag (EFB) technology. JetBlue made a splash in 2000 when it equipped its pilots and first officers with laptops to access electronic flight manuals and make preflight load and balance calculations that it said would not only reduce the airline’s printing costs but also save 4,800 man-hours a year.“The typical airline is operating hundreds, if not thousands, of flights a day. That’s a lot of paper, so there’s a definite cost and environmental benefit to the technology,” says Henry Harteveldt, vice president of travel research for Forrester. “There’s also immediacy,” so pilots always have updated data, he says. FedEx has used EFBs since 1991, but most commercial airlines couldn’t justify the technology due to implementation costs and communications infrastructure challenges. Today, more passenger airlines are getting on board.JetBlue’s laptops, considered Class 1 EFBs by the Federal Aviation Administration, are just like yours—they have to be stowed at times. Virgin America (see “Cheap Frills,” Page 60) plans to take off next year with Class 2 EFBs, which mount in the cockpit of its Airbus A320s, for use at any altitude. The Class 2 option will be less costly long-term than equipping every pilot with his own laptop, says Virgin America’s VP and chief pilot, Joe Houghton, and will let pilots access navigational charts in flight. The ultimate goal is a nearly paperless flight deck except for one checklist. Houghton says that will increase efficiency, reduce costs and raise the quality of life for pilots—they’ll have a free hand to carry a change of clothes for dinner or a good book. Related content feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence case study Deoleo doubles down on sustainability through digital transformation The Spanish multinational olive oil processing company is immersed in a digital transformation journey to achieve operational efficiency and contribute to the company's sustainability strategy. By Nuria Cordon Jun 02, 2023 6 mins CIO Supply Chain Digital Transformation brandpost Resilient data backup and recovery is critical to enterprise success As global data volumes rise, business must prioritize their resiliency strategies. By Neal Weinberg Jun 01, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Democratizing HPC with multicloud to accelerate engineering innovations Cloud for HPC is facilitating broader access to high performance computing and accelerating innovations and opportunities for all types of organizations. By Tanya O'Hara Jun 01, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe