Delta Air Lines is breaking ranks with its three major U.S. airline rivals, selecting Microsoft as its electronic flight bag provider over Apple. The airline announced Sept. 30 that it will purchase 11,000 Microsoft Surface 2 tablets for its pilots as part of a move to increase productivity and situational awareness, as well as to cut costs by replacing paper manuals and charts.

Aerospace industry group asks FAA to lift ban on portables below 10,000 ft.

Process improvements drive down manufacturing costs

Testing is underway on second package of Trent 900 fuel-cut upgrades for A380

Five innovators in the experimental aircraft sector

When the NextGen Advisory Committee came out with a prioritized list of NextGen capabilities Sept. 19 to help the FAA decide how best to spend under shrinking budgets, “wake recategorization” made the Tier 1A cut, along with performance-based navigation and multiple-runway operations. Tier 1A is the gold standard of rankings, reserved for capabilities that are “shovel-ready” and provide maximum benefit for minimum money.

Betting on Barcelona connections and foreign bases.

Aircell this month is rolling out a new Gogo Biz inflight Internet equipment package targeting smaller operators, including light jets and turboprops. The ATG 2000 system was developed to bring Internet services to aircraft that have lighter passenger loads, the company says.