Automated flight attending

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Automated flight attending uses machines to take over some tasks from flight attendants. The idea goes back to 1965, when Martin Limanoff built an early food-delivery box that moved along a track in the cabin floor, though it’s not clear if it was used on real flights.

In 2015, Sell GMBH (part of Zodiac Aerospace) filed a patent for a system with automated belts that bring food up from the floor and deliver it to passengers on demand when they press a button on the in-flight entertainment screen. Today, many IFE systems (like Virgin America’s Red and Panasonic’s eX2) let you order from your seat, pay with a card, and have a flight attendant bring the meal.

In 2012, the SkyTender robot bartender can serve more than 30 drinks at the touch of a button, and it flew for the first time with WDL Aviation from Cologne to Palma de Mallorca. On May 2, 2015, Saturday Night Live aired a sketch featuring fictional automated flight attendants on Virgin America.