American Airlines First Class Gets Galaxy Tabs

The complimentary newspaper and magazine has now been replace by tablets in first class.

It was only a matter of time before tablets began making their way into the la-de-dah first class section of jet airline flights. After all, if restaurants can replace paper menus with tablets and doctors can replace clipboards with tablets, why can't American Airlines and other popular airlines to the same, replacing the complimentary newspaper, magazine or exit instructions with something flat and electronic?

Various reports are indicating that American Airlines already began integrating Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets into its first class carriages earlier this month as an "entertainment option." Somewhere around 6,000 tablets are currently being distributed on 767-200 and 767-300 transcontinental flights between New York and Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and Los Angeles and Miami.

Forbes reports that 757 aircraft making the Boston to Los Angeles run will also get the Android 3.1-based tablet. 767-300 aircraft flying internationally to and from Europe and South America will also receive the same model. These devices will replace the airlines' previous means of entertainment and will have full Wi-Fi access, maybe even Angry Birds.

Last month Alaska Airlines reportedly began replacing its 25-pound paper flight manuals with iPads. Australian carrier Jetstar Airways has also chosen Apple's iPad as a new in-flight entertainment system. As for the coach passengers, the reported airlines will not be providing tablets, but there's a good chance passengers will receive a napkin that can be turned into a really cool paper airplane or football.