EVA Airways

“The airline industry is all about speed,” says Chang Kuo-Wei, President of EVA Airways. “Every procedure we do, from reservations to check-ins to flights, requires the most advanced technology. Using new technology like iPad allows us to transport our customers to every corner of the world in the fastest, safest, and most comfortable way.”

iPad has enabled EVA Air to replace hundreds of pages of flight documents with instantly accessible data on a single thin, easy-to-navigate interface. It also gives cabin staff a better way to respond to customer needs and document any issues.

“iPad has transformed EVA’s operations,” says Hsieh Chia-Jung, Information Technology Manager. “We’re able to provide better, friendlier, more satisfactory service to our passengers.”

Making Pilots More Mobile

iPad has not only made it easier for pilots to access critical flight information — it’s also eliminated the need to constantly update, print, and distribute paper manuals and other materials. “Delivering so much information to our pilots and keeping it up-to-date in real time was hard to do with our old tools,” Chang says.

“Before iPad, I always had to come to work an hour and a half early to check the weather, aircraft maintenance status, fuel levels, and all kinds of other information,” says Captain Liang Hsueh-Hsien, EVA’s Safety Supervisor and A330 Instructor Pilot. “Plus I had to bring a laptop, flight plans, flight bulletins and so on. All of this was in my flight bag.”

Now all this essential data has been digitized for easy access in Flight Operations Bag, an iPad app that EVA developed in-house. “It includes weather information, the flight record of the entire route, the onboard crew member list, and all airport stops bulletins,” Hsieh explains.

Instead of spending extra time gathering information before their flights, pilots can proceed directly to work, streamlining their workdays and reducing costs for the airline. “Now pilots can fire up their iPads from home and see all the information the company provides,” says Liang.

Delivering Great Service

iPad is also hard at work in the main cabin on EVA flights. The company has designed an app for its chief pursers called Cabin Information System, which incorporates passenger information and offers an easy interface for adding passenger comments, noting crewmember suggestions, and documenting any issues that need to be addressed.

“Since the chief purser's main job is to serve our passengers, the app includes information about them,” Hsieh says. “It reminds her if certain passengers need special attention. And if she’s reporting on an issue, she can use the iPad camera to photograph whatever she’s documenting.”

The app gives the cabin crew a way to communicate with other divisions about maintenance, catering, or operational issues that need attention, improving EVA’s quality of service on all fronts. “It’s very helpful for troubleshooting, and it’s all real-time,” Chang adds. “The crew’s workload is reduced.”

iPad and EVA’s internal apps also keep sensitive corporate and customer information secure, whether in the air or on the ground. “Only authorized staff can use this app,” says Hsieh. “And the iPad iOS environment is very safe — it meets all our security requirements for app development and deployment.”

Flying Into the Future

As EVA Airways continues to grow, iPad offers endless opportunities to simplify existing systems and innovate new tools for transporting passengers quickly, safely, and comfortably.

“Bringing in iPad is only the beginning,” Chang says. “We plan to continue expanding and developing apps to maximize the effectiveness of iPad for our company.”

“Our goal at EVA Airways has always been the highest quality, top service, and model air safety,” says Liang. “iPad really has helped us enormously, both in flight safety and efficiency. With these tools, we can be a role model in the industry, and the best choice when people fly.”