Virgin America is handing out Nexus 7 tablets to its crew members

Nexus 7 tablets will soon be a common sight on Virgin America planes, but unlike other airlines that lend passengers tablets for entertainment, you can only use them if you’re part the crew. On a VA plane, you can easily order grub by pressing a special “food button” on an in-flight entertainment system’s touchscreen panel or on a seat’s armrest remote control. When you do press the button, the order’s relayed to a tablet connected to the system. Well, the company felt that it was time to replace its old tablets, so its employees took the Nexus 7 for an obviously successful 30-day test run.

Virgin America announced this month that it will be replacing the tablets used by its crew members with the Nexus 7, doing so for an improved experience (the slim size and faster speeds were cited among reasons). The airline has decided to call the slates the CrewPad. With the Nexus 7 (“CrewPad”), flight attendants — called InFlight Teammates by Virgin — will receive a notification when a customer orders something like a snack via the Red in-flight entertainment system in the aircraft. The attendant can then get the item and take it to the passenger, no waving attendants down necessary. The Nexus 7 has already been put through its paces, with Virgin America electing to give it a 30-day test run with its crew. Ultimately, the so-called InFlight Teammates gave it a thumbs-up, and Virgin has elected to move forward with the transition. The airline teases that with the new tablets in place, it could be “enhanced” in the future with a more personalize experience, among other things. The tablets have been rolling out for the last week or so, and should now be in the hands of attendants.