Scoot Pte switches aircraft to iPads to drop fuel costs
updated 02:58 pm EDT, Mon June 4, 2012
Planes previously used two tons of in-flight entertainment systems
Singapore-based airline Scoot Pte has switched to iPads for in-flight entertainment in order to save fuel, Bloomberg notes. The company's CEO, Campbell Wilson, claims that the move cut off about 7 percent of the weight from planes received from Scoot's parent company, Singapore Airlines. This is despite increasing seating in the planes by 40 percent.
Using conventional entertainment systems contributed in excess of two tons to the weight of each plane. Fuel economy is the "number one worry" for airlines, according to Wilson, since gas represents at least 40 percent of expenses. While business travelers on Scoot get to borrow an iPads for free, economy-class passengers must pay S$22 -- roughly $17 US -- for the same privilege.
Each iPad comes preloaded with movies, music, games, and TV shows. Eventually, however, Scoot says it will move content access to a onboard Wi-Fi network.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Bad numbers
The press release for this seems to have been written by someone in the marketing department who's clueless about numbers. Two tons of entertainment gear and wiring would be 7% of an aircraft's weight only if it weighed about 30 tons (60,000 pounds). Commercial aircraft weigh about five to ten times that.