Qantas has announced plans to replace its BlackBerry fleet with 1300 iPhones, giving in to its employees’ preference for the device.
“There has been strong demand from Qantas employees for the iPhone, with a large majority of respondents to a recent survey indicating that this is their preferred smartphone option,” Qantas CIO Paul Jones said in an emailed statement to ZDNet Australia, confirming a report that appeared in The Australian this morning.
“The iPhone offers a user-friendly interface and simple access to emails, contacts and calendars, as well as meeting all Qantas’ security requirements.”
Qantas expects the move to save the airline money through simplified support infrastructure and better carrier agreements for mobile data, according to Jones. The airline will source the devices from both Telstra and Optus.
Last week, Qantas also announced that it is partnering with Telstra to roll out iPads for pilots to use on the flight deck in an effort to reduce the 20kg of documentation that pilots have to lug on-board.
Staff members won’t necessarily be locked into iPhones, Jones said. The airline will also be supporting Android devices under a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy.
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