ANA will become the first airline in the world to supply all of its cabin attendant with iPads.

The airline says supplying ANA’s  6,000 cabin attendants with iPads will “improve the quality of the passenger service offered on ANA” and raise cabin attendant productivity.

Increased business efficiency

The use of iPads instead of traditional paper training manuals will “ensure that staff will always be able to access the latest information wherever they” are and cut down on printing and distribution costs for ANA.

ANA’s three training manuals currently provided weigh over 2kgs, compared to the lighter and slimmer 0.7kg iPad. The traditional training manuals had to be updated and reprinted several times a year but this will now be done automatically electronically, increasing business efficiency.

Improving service offered to passengers

ANA’s new digital manual will make use of voice recordings, video and other electronic training materials to share the knowledge of highly experienced employees. These will be loaded onto the iPads, helping cabin attendants to master their work more quickly say ANA.

“This will help provide customers with an even more Anshin, Attaka & Akaruku-Genki (safe, warm and cheerful) service, supporting ANA to achieve its strategic business goal of becoming number one in Asia for in-flight quality.” ANA says.

Improving training and education

ANA says “By moving away from centralized training and instead providing self-taught lessons on the iPad, cabin attendants will be able to acquire knowledge without traveling to training facilities. E-learning will make the training process easier and shorter as crew members can learn at any time and in any place.”

Through a cloud computing service provided by Softbank Telecom Corporation, ANA say they will be able to “efficiently implement workplace improvements while maintaining a high level of information security.”

*iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc.