Delta Air Lines will reportedly give its pilots Microsoft Surface 2 tablets

Delta Air Lines is planning to equip each of its pilots with a Microsoft Surface 2 tablet running Windows 8.1 RT, according to a report from Windows IT Pro magazine. The rumored move follows Delta’s August announcement that it would give each of its more than 19,000 flight attendants Windows Phone 8 handsets — specifically the Nokia Lumia 820 — in a bid to simplify the process of buying a drink or meal in flight. The report said that Delta had originally planned to purchase Nokia’s rumored Windows 8.1 tablets, but that somewhere along the line plans changed.

Windows IT Pro said that Delta and Microsoft are set to announce the tablet deal — which should take about two years to get a Surface 2 to each pilot — in the coming days. Officials at Delta were unavailable for a request for comment, but handing tablets to pilots isn’t a new idea: in 2011, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta each gave pilots iPads to use as a replacement for paper flight charts and maps during flights.

Update: In a statement emailed to The Verge, Delta said that while it doesn’t comment on speculation and rumors, “we’re always evaluating opportunities to enhance the use of technology across our business.”