US airline Delta is handing out Nokia Lumia handsets for its 19,000 flight attendants to use as a POS for passengers to pay for cabin upgrades and other on board purchases.

Staff will be able to connect to in-flight wi-fi so they can email receipts and access other reference materials relevant to the trip. Delta says its hopes they will soon be able to offer real-time flight, weather and connection information, presumably delivered from the handset.

The company believes that the roll-out of smartphones will reduce paper usage and weight on flights – making them more fuel effiecient and environmentally friendly. 

We have reached out to Delta and Nokia to find out exactly what tech is behind the mPOS system.