I recently flew Delta out of La Guardia airport in New York.

It may be true what Joe Biden says, about La Guardia being like a third-world country, but Delta is looking to improve the gate-waiting experience by having an iPad at every single seat, whether at the food and drink bar or at one of the many tables throughout the gate area.

My experience with the iPads was exctremely positive. From any seat in the whole place I can order food and drink that gets delivered right to my seat. I can also order newspapers and magazines, even electronics (headphones, speakers) which supposedly are hand-delivered within 15 minutes.

Not surprising that Delta is seeing a huge increase in sales per passenger at the La Guardia terminal compared to elsewhere.

In addition, you can punch in your flight info, and the iPad keeps you updated on the status of your flight. Which was great for me, since my flight was over an hour delayed. No need to keep going back to the gate to get updates; they all came through on the iPad directly in front of me.

If this is the way New York City air travel is going, perhaps people won’t be so upset about the perennial delays at NYC airports.

Read more about iPads at La Guardia in the New York Times article from January, 2013: At La Guardia, Delta Uses iPads to Fill the Wait Time