moralcpz

Hard to beat all your info being in a single scrolling document with links (HTML).

M+ is a clunky solution for a problem that was already solved. The “signature” for release at my prior regional airline was super-secret pin you entered during ACARS init. It worked well! Using my finger to create a signature. Ha. Credit cards and dispatch releases need a modern method of validation.

I can’t believe we waited so long for this software. It looks like someone tossed it together quickly without peer review. Yes I know it was tested ad naseum but that’s kind of the point. Was no one willing to say it had shortcomings?

LOA to prevent duty notifications via email would prevent concerns with email delivery of HTML.

BlueSkies

Look, I'm not saying the html flt plan is amazing or that we should never have anything better, but why spend all this money on a new app if looks & works like this? If they didn't want to make an app that works well then just stick with the html! Or maybe wait until Mission+ is more 'ready' before releasing it?

DLDude

I agree with this point. The html flight plan was always meant to be a stepping stone to something better and a dedicated app like Mission+ is a good move to facilitate things like an electronic update instead of the acars22 message. However, Mission+ misses many other points.

CBreezy

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I'm gladly not in management. I don't know know why they can't wait a few update cycles before it's released.

CBreezy

Signatures are dumb. For whatever reason, our local fed won't allow ACARS pin as a primary method. Don't ask me why.

DLDude

A little background on the e-mail scheme for the html flight plan. When Delta developed the capability of creating a pdf version of the flight plan, they also added a feature to have it e-mailed. The concept behind the html flight plan was instead of taking the plain text of the flight plan and converting it into a laser printer friendly pdf, the plain text could run through a converter to make an html document with some interactive features and hyperlinks for use on the tablet. The delivery method of e-mailing the file was already developed for the pdf version and just required some adaptation.

Although this e-mail scheme was a little crude, it worked pretty well until iOS 13. The work around of using Adobe Acrobat worked pretty well in that it was approved and everybody had it already. This was clumsy, but worked until Adobe updated their app. Edge works pretty well. Moving from the current html flight plan to a dedicated app was always the plan and is potentially a good thing. The issue is in the execution of the app, Mission+.

moralcpz

Thanks for sharing the background. But all they had to do was make an app that displayed text and let you use hyperlinks to move within the document. Also a few basic calculators. None of us were clamoring to take a basic text document and silo it into clunky sub-menus.

Trip7

Can't be the ATL FSDO. At ASA we used ACARS employee # and can't remember if we used a PIN as well but I didn't see the signature silliness til I got to Delta.

Trip7

I really hope the selection of Mission+ was due to it's customization. Instead of a big huge tile that says Destination weather, there needs to be useful information in there this:

OOfff

human factors problem: whatever is displayed there will be the only thing anyone looks at, and few will do a complete look at the weather.