Can an iPad app error delay flights?

Our over-reliance on technology can sometimes lead to some interesting consequences. American Airlines discovered this to its misfortune, as it had to delay more than 50 flights across the US after an iPad map app used for navigation was hit by a glitch. The unresponsive app forced the pilots to delete and reinstall the map to fix the problem.

Incidentally, American Airlines was the first airline in the US to get FAA approval to use an electronic version of the flight manual instead of printed ones. The switch to iPads helped the Airlines replace paper maps, aircraft manual and other paper material. Due to the virtual shift, American Airlines saved 400,000 gallons of fuel due to the decreased weight, as it did not need to carry more than 3,000 pages of paper previously carried by every pilot and instructor.