American Airlines flight attendants leave paper manuals behind

American Airlines flight attendants are leaving their paper manuals behind.

Flight attendants now carry tablet computers instead of the 5 pound paper manuals. The airline says the change will save $300,000 a year in printing and shipping costs and possibly $650,000 a year in fuel costs.

“The tablet allows us to reduce our dependency on paper products and to share important safety information with our flight attendants more quickly,” said Hector Adler, vice president of Flight Service for American Airlines. “This is a very exciting and important milestone for all of us at American as we modernize our processes and provide our employees with the best tools to do their job, and provide better service to our customers.”

The airline’s flight attendants began using Samsung tablets instead of paper manuals Sept. 1 after a six-month test period. Electronic manuals will be distributed to US Airways attendants next year.

American’s pilots starting using an electronic flight bag in 2012, swapping a 1.2 pound iPad for a 35-pound kitbag.