You think we are paranoid? Buddy... you have no idea. The company was videoing/recording our conversations in ops for years before we found out.
You are on CCTV in almost every location you visit. The company has a right to video survey the area if they want, as it is their property. How many guys complained about lack of video in the hallways in ORD where stuff was pilfered from luggage. The company installs video and the same clowns claim they are being put under undue scrutiny.
Here is a novel idea. Don't do anything illegal at work and you won't have to worry about videos.
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And trust me, they WILL use the iPads to track our movements, compare it to sick list usage etc. If you work for United, and you AREN'T paranoid, you are stupid.
The tracking mode of the ipad is a switch position. Turn it off viola you are free to call in sick from Siam. Of course why you would take your company ipad to Siam is up to you. Where are the rules that say you have to be home to call in sick? How many guys do you know that have been fired for calling sick from somewhere other than home???
Now I've got to carry another iPad. I have my own, which I will continue to use, so now I'm going to be dragging around 2 of them.
So you would rather carry a fifty pound flight bag, rather than 2 pounds of ipads? I have heard the Shipsets were not great money savers. They could easily tell you that you have to start schleping that anchor around again. Your math is not really adding up but that appears to be the case in the rest of you post also.
And what information does it give me that I don't already have?
If you believe the TK rumor mill the wifi is coming to all the airplanes. The addition of live weather will be available with this. But again we can't get to that step until we adopt the ipad's. So it is the chicken or the egg.
What happens if I lose it? Break it? You think the company is going to pat me on the head and say "That's ok, we'll just get you another one?" HELL no they won't. It will come out of my paycheck!
What happened if you lost your old FOM? They charged you for it, right? Here is something that may not be of some use to you. Now is the time for you to become a responsible adult. You are entrusted with several million dollars worth of airplanes and assets each time you take off. Now you are being given a $400 ipad, try to use some of that skill and cunning that has kept the airplane out of the weeds and prevent breaking your ipad. If you have ONE now then you are obviously adept at keeping it from being broken.
Don't be such a Richard Cranium.