It’s a good day to be a flight attendant with American Airlines. AA recently purchased 17,000 Galaxy Note ‘phablets’ for its flight attendants. Instead of just rewarding flight attendants for their faithful service, the gift is designed to help flight attendants connect with passengers to offer a higher level of customer service.

The flight attendants will be receiving the tablets throughout the rest of this year and into 2013. Apparently, the Note was chosen because flight attendants reviewed it more positively than any other device that was tested.

All of the Galaxy Notes are pre-loaded with a special American Airlines app. This app includes:

-Information about each customer, like the name, seat number, loyalty program, etc.

-Meal preferences, beverage preferences, and other options for premium class customers

-Information about “high-value” customers or customers who require special assistance getting on or off the plane

-Information about gate connections, flight delays, weather information, and more.

Earlier in the year, Samsung and American Airlines banded together to bring passengers the Galaxy Tab 10.1. That campaign was designed to give passengers a wider range of in-flight entertainment options. Passengers on select flights received the Galaxy Tab complete with Bose headphones, which must have made the flight go by much faster.

Of course, smartphones and tablets are only so much fun when you don’t have Wi-Fi. That’s why American Airlines plans to continue outfitting its aircraft with Wi-Fi services.

So, if you like Samsung smartphones and tablets and are flying somewhere in the near future, American Airlines wants you to fly with them.