When I booked my flight for North Carolina next month, I was super stoked that there would be Wi-Fi. Delta, on the other hand, is offering its passengers a feature that puts basic wireless Internet connection to shame. It’s new “Fly Delta for the iPad app,” or its “glass bottom jet” setting, will either soothe flyers’ fears of heights or allow them to interact with the fact that they are, on average, about 32,000 feet above ground.
The way the app works is that it allows its passengers to see a complete view of the plane they are in as it flies over the map to their final destination. If you soar over a historical landmark, the app will notify you, as well as provide you with destination guides, flight check in information and a “What’s Next” feature to help make post-flight plans, according to one report. It all sounds pretty cool and informational, that is, until it begins notifying you when you’re hovering over your besties’ locations.
Is your friend currently shacking up on vacation? Wherever they’re strewn across the country, you’ll know by way of this app via Facebook (News - Alert) – that is, if the friend has officially “checked in” via the social media site. That way, you can send them a message or text mid-flight to the effect of, “I can technically, kind of, almost see you!”
Image via Shutterstock
I can only speak for myself when I say that I’m unsure of how I’d feel if my friend were to randomly message me saying that he or she were tens of thousands of feet above me and their phone was notifying them of my current location.
This, however, could be an extraordinarily helpful feature when meeting a friend at an airport or if you have multiple stops. For example, when going to North Carolina to meet my cousin, I could notify her of exactly where I am along the way. Or if I’m meeting a friend who is flying to the same destination, for example, we could find out if the other party has arrived beforehand if they “check in” via Facebook upon arrival.
An updated version of Delta’s iPhone (News - Alert) app, created by AKQA, also now includes Passbook-based ticketing.