Apple Teams With Lufthansa, Ditto to Digitize Pre-Flight Data

A new app is bringing real-time analytics to the airline industry, allowing staff to sync and access pre-flight data on any Apple product.

Built by airline carrier Lufthansa and powered by software developer Ditto, the Crew App uses Apple’s SwiftUI framework and Ditto’s edge platform database to create a digital hub for cabin crews. 

The new app allows crew to monitor data in real time, and react to any potential issues, identifying hazardous objects, checking emergency equipment onboard a flight, and monitoring service equipment. The app is accessible even without a network connection, helpful for crew members given the sporadic or non-existent network on an aircraft.

By using Apple’s Swift programming software, the Crew App was designed to work specifically on Apple products, though any edge computing system can share its data with the platform. Opting out of a central server or hardware, the partners focused on flexibility of data sharing and overall ease of use.  

“Our partnership with Lufthansa underscores the importance of giving enterprises the ability to build their own apps using fewer resources and development costs,” said Adam Fish, Ditto co-founder and CEO. “In addition, the digitization of Lufthansa’s documents and processes is part of a broader movement to enable deskless workers access to the same tools and efficiencies that desk-bound workers have.” 

“Apple’s SwiftUI framework helped us quickly and independently develop our own native iPad app, and Ditto helped us quickly deploy it to our crew’s fleet of devices,” said Michael Hack, Lufthansa solution architect. “This app enables us to efficiently support crews with a comfortable device like an iPad, and we can rest assured that Ditto’s Intelligent Edge ensures our data is always up to date, even when network connectivity is poor or altogether unavailable.”