11,000 Microsoft Surface 2s purchased for Delta pilots

This is a very big win for Microsoft that desperately needed some positive buzz for their next generation tablet. Delta pilots will be turning in their bulky charts and paperwork bundles and going digital with Microsoft Surface 2 tablets.

How many of Microsoft’s ARM-powered Surface 2 fondleslabs has it sold so far during the presale period leading up to the tablet’s October 22 launch? At least 11,000, as it turns out, because that’s how many were snapped up by US passenger carrier Delta Air Lines.

“Delta is rolling out these new tablets to replace the traditional paper document flight bags you’ve probably seen pilots lug around in large briefcases, which weigh on average, a surprising 38 pounds each,” Microsoft’s Erwin Visser wrote in a blog post on Monday.