Originally Posted by
BenA
As with many things in aviation, the paper flight manifest is a fail safe backup in case the onboard technology fails. As time goes on, the mobile devices are becoming the primary means of accessing the information onboard, but as many can attest, Wi-Fi access doesn’t always work, and the crew needs guaranteed and immediate access to the data printed at the gate for safety reasons in case of an emergency.
This, not coincidentally, is one of the main reasons why I print a paper boarding pass every time - all it takes is living through one of Delta’s famous IT meltdowns and you’ll be a convert back to paper boarding passes.
Paper isn’t wasted if it serves a useful purpose. I’m all for eliminating useless junk mail, unnecessary instruction manuals and mountains of paper records when appropriate - but sometimes, an analog backup is the right answer.
there is work behind the scenes, especially on the FA side to eliminate the printed paperwork (or remove the pre-departure and instead just receive the departure paperwork as we currently get two copies) all of the information is available on our GST app. They’re working on a way to also have a PDF of the legacy available to download or email.
There is also work on the Flight Ops side too, but that involves regulatory approval and a much higher degree of reliability.
As far as everyone worried about SMS going away being a push to the app for malicious intent, it was explained internally that the SMS vendor was being let go for cost savings. As others have also pointed out, you can still print at home. Print at the kiosk or screenshot the PDF. If DL really wanted to force you to use the app they wouldn’t they also just get rid of print at home and blame on the expensive (non-existent) PDF contractor?