British Airways has joined the "iFly"club by giving its in-flight cabin crew the latest trendy gadget -- an IPad 2 -- to help then deal with passengers after they board.

Already about 120 have been handed out to cabin services directors at the UK airline which plans to roll out 1,800 of the devices to senior crews between now and Christmas.

It's even been hinted that they may eventually be given out to First Class passengers as part of their in-flight entertainment.

Currently when all the passengers have boarded and just before the doors are shut, cabin crew are handed a long scroll of paper, listing up to 337 customers.

With the new iPads cabin crew will simply refresh their screen when the doors have closed through wireless 3G networks and they will have a complete list of passengers on board.

The airline says the iPads enable cabin crew to have early awareness of customer preferences and a greater understanding of each customer's previous travel arrangements.

A BA spokesman said: "It allows cabin crew to offer a truly bespoke, personalised service.

"The iPad lets crew quickly identify where each customer is seated, who they are travelling with, their Executive Club status and any special meal requests.

"It gives cabin crew a whole library of information at their fingertips including timetables, safety manuals and customer service updates.

"It also means any issues can be logged with ground-based colleagues around the network prior to departure so solutions can be delivered while the flight is airborne."

BA's in-flight customer chief Bill Francis, said: "The iPad is already allowing us to offer a more personalised onboard service, but the possibilities for future development are endless.

"We're receiving great feedback from cabin crew and customers already. It allows the crew to offer the thoughtful service they want to deliver and customers are treated as valued guests."

Explaining in more detail the benefits to passengers, the BA spokesman said: "If John Smith is flying from New York to London and is seated in 10D, he is a silver card holder.

"He last flew with BA in July on a flight to Paris and then another trip to Boston. He is having a vegetarian meal.

"After landing at Heathrow Mr Smith is connecting onto another BA flight which is a fairly tight connection, so is anxious to know more about other possible flights that day to Berlin in case the flight is delayed due to poor weather in the New York area."

He added: "They can move this data around in a very easy way to cover up to 337 customers on a full jumbo and help give a much more personalised service and know much more about the customer.

"They can also ensure that any complaints are logged onboard and as soon as the flight lands they are immediately sent off to various BA departments and are available for Customer Relations to see and then act upon."