Considering the way they are staffed, you've got a good chance of that!

 

I don't think you will see APDL for the iPhone anytime soon. ADPL always depended on the easy uploading/downloading of data (over a sync conduit) that Palms/WM provided to really make it work well.

The file system that the iPhone uses doesn't lend itself to easy uploading/downloading of data (which is exactly the way Apple wants it). Most of the "file" programs on the iPhone are essentially workarounds, and you have to use WiFI to transfer your files (no USB syncs), which really sucks, because I used to be able to use my iPod Mini as a portable harddrive just by dragging and dropping files when it was connected via USB.

Additionally, I THINK the last time I looked at APDL, they had discontinued use of stand alone programs for importing your schedules to a web-based system (meaning you can to be online to use it), and you HAD to use Logbook Pro to get your data out of APDL, which meant that you had to buy LBP if you were going to use the data in any way (someone correct me if I'm wrong on this).

It's really too bad, because nothing worked as well as APDL for doing what it does....keep your times and check for legalities. All the other logbook programs for the iPhone either try to be all things to all pilots (GA, Corporate, etc) or are filled with bloat to the point they're almost unusable.

Now the last time I talked with the Flightline people, they SAID they were working on an iPhone app. No dates were given, but they said it was "in testing".

With that said, there is a VERY simple, ASCII text based DBMS system that you can use that was designed for dial-up access, which is PERFECT for low-bandwidth mobile access. Some iPhone savvy type could set up an app to parse the data (line, rotation data, etc) from DBMS right into your iPhone. Then after each flight, you could hit "update", and check the times uploaded into your phone or override them if you had something different.

Set the whole thing to dump a CSV file to email, and you'd be set to import it into your Excel file to print or whatever at home.

You could even set it up to scan for open time, do swaps or other PCS transactions, check the reserve list, and whatever else your little heart desired.

The only problem is that you HAVE to have access to the ASCII DBMS, and to do that, you need to pay FDS their due, and I'm not super sure they'd welcome a third-party program using their network. They MIGHT, assuming it increases their subscriber base, but since most everyone uses FDS for access anyway, they might not see any added-value to it and iPhone uses are known for being data hogs. If you had everyone scanning opentime with their iPhones they way they surf the web....well, you get the idea.

Just my opinion...

Nu

 

See, you DAL guys continue to get spoiled . Didn't the 401K go up 1% as well...hmm interesting...

 

I'm not putting SWA up on a pedestal. I'm just comfortable in my own airline to realize it's strengths and weaknesses and what made SWA go from the airline that everybody laughed at to the largest domestic carrier in the US as well as the rise of companies like AirTran, jetBlue, and others. These companies grabbed the easy low hanging fruit from the majors and built a reputation (whether true or not) on it.

 

With all of you on most of that. Currently on Verizon (20% employee discount for Delta). I have 3 phones, 700 min/month and after taxes, etc. am happy to be at $74/month. Would love to get a smartphone and would only use it with WiFi BUT you CAN"T even get a smartphone unless you pay $30/month for a data plan even if you never plan to use the cell phone network. I guess I'll have to stick with non smartphones.

 

You must be quite old. I can't remember anyone in my lifetime seriously laughing at Southwest (the business model). We may have laughed at Southwest (the pilots), or Southwest (the airborne comedy show), or their "Burbank fuel-hedge", and spent a lot of time asking whether they know the difference between a taxi and a take-off roll, but I don't think we've underestimated the model. Ever.

If anything the industry and the public are collectively guilty of buying enough into the hype, that they made the legend true by running scared at every opportunity to fight.

 

My brothers fiancé used to work at a used cell phone mall kiosk. She sold used iPhones, & could sell the phone w/o data plans. Maybe you could look into that.

 

Sink,
I knew guys 10-12 year ago refusing to go to WN because of how low their wages were compared to those of DAL, AMR and UAL. Many did not want to mess with the type as well.

Times change, and their time at the top, like ours in only measured in years, not decades or lifetimes.

 

Looked into that as well, and Verizon will not activate a "smartphone" unless you pay $30/mo for the unlimited data package. Some of the "less smartphones" are only $10/mo. I have a Palm phone now and have never had the data package and I just wanted another Palm phone but cannot get a new one now unless I do the data package with it. No way around it even if I pay full price for the phone.

 

The problem is the non smartphone choices are becoming very limited and consist of total piece of crap phones that are not reliable. They want to force all of us into paying them for a data package. They also just started requiring you to pay them $10/mo for some of the non-smart phones that they call 3G phones. The only phones you can get without data packages are the phones they call "simple feature" phones. The thing is some of us use the smart phones for the apps that don't require internet. You can use a smartphone for alot of other stuff that doesn't require internet use that you can't use a "simple feature" phone for. I have a great calender/schedule program, APDL, spreadsheets, all my music, pictures, spreadsheets, etc on my Palm phone and don't want internet. To continue to use that stuff I'm going to have to fork out $30/mo for something I don't need just to get the phone which I think is really stupid and will probably cause me to ditch Verizon.