Redmond signs deal with SkyWest to adopt Surface 3

Oct 2, 2015 09:27 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has just announced that it has reached an agreement with SkyWest Inc. to bring Surface 3 tablets in all their airplanes in order to be used by pilots and replace the traditional paper documentation.

This isn't the first time Microsoft signs such a deal, so it's pretty clear where the company is going with another agreement: conquering the enterprise with its tablets and making them available to thousands of people with a single shot.

This strategy seems to be more successful than focusing on retail, and Microsoft has been doing this for years, with the Surface 3 and the Pro 3 proving to be the most appealing to organizations seeking such agreements.

7,500 tablets deployed by SkyWest

In a statement released today, Microsoft reveals that a total of 7,500 pilots at ExpressJet and SkyWest Airlines will use the Surface 3 powered by Windows 10 (originally, all tablets were running Windows 8.1, but Microsoft upgraded them to Windows 10 once the new OS became available on July 29).

"SkyWest, Inc. is deploying Surface 3 to replace heavy paper-based flight kits containing navigational charts, and aircraft operating and reference manuals. SkyWest, Inc. committed to standardizing their Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) for ExpressJet and SkyWest pilots on Surface 3. At only 1.3lbs, Surface 3 can distill a heavy flight bag into a portable, powerful device while offering simplified management and security via Intune,” Microsoft says.

At the same time, the company has also revealed that the Surface 3 can be used as an electronic flight bag by any airline out there, as both the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency have given their approval.

The Surface 3 is the Pro 3's smaller brother, coming with a 10.8-inch display, a removable keyboard, a built-in kickstand, and a digital pen for easy drawing and writing. It runs the full version of Windows 10.