United made a simple change that saves passengers over 13m minutes of delays

United Airlines came up with a simple way to avoid delays and it has everything to do with being more efficient with the things it can control. So far, the airline says this change has saved its passengers over 13m minutes of delays. Here's how: If you've ever been sitting on an airplane when the pilot comes over the PA system to tell you that they are just waiting on maintenance to finish paperwork after fixing something, you know how frustrating it can be. There's a reason for all of the processes and procedures that come with maintaining an aircraft. It's ultimately all about safety. Finishing that paperwork meant filling out actual paper forms, known as maintenance release documents (MRD), signing them with ink, and getting them to the pilot in the cockpit. All of that takes extra time, even though the maintenance is already finished. In many cases, it takes as much as 10 minutes. That adds up. United, however, says it is the first and only airline to receive FAA approval to digitize its MRDs. Its maintenance crew use iPads to complete paperwork and then sign it digitally using the TouchID sensor. The MRD is then transferred to the pilots' devices. This seems like such an obvious and simple way to use technology to make the overall experience better. To be fair, changing the process wasn't nearly as simple as I'm making it sound, but the end result is a much more simple way to handle what was otherwise a cumbersome process. The airline had to work with the FAA to gain approval to stop using paper MRDs, but the effort is worthwhile when you consider the impact on its customers and employees.<br/>