Solutions

Leveraging Most's innovative solutions, Southwest Airlines streamlined in-flight retail operations for 25,000 crew members, deploying the largest fleet of iPad Minis as payment devices.

# Southwest Airlines ## The Awesome Case ### Enterprise retail, redesigned for the iPhone Southwest Airlines wanted an iPhone retail solution designed around the people who would carry it—and one of the most demanding workplaces anywhere: an aircraft cabin. MOST created the Awesome Case, a lightweight, protective and fully integrated platform that brings the iPhone and a removable payment device together as one enterprise retail tool. It feels intentionally like a normal phone case, yet beneath its slim exterior is a robust system for payment, shared power, data, charging and daily airline operations. Southwest has its Awesome Case. What should yours look like? **Primary CTA:** Build one for your airline **Secondary CTA:** Read the complete design story **Hero image:** `post-11.png` --- ## Three opening proof points ### Designed for people on the move Light, slim and comfortable to carry through a full day, even in the confined environment of an aircraft cabin. ### Built for every payment moment A removable reader supports fast contactless payments and chip-card insertion, with payment workflows designed for intermittent or limited connectivity. ### One integrated power system The case provides shared charging for the iPhone and payment puck while helping protect the phone's own charging port from the demands of repeated daily use. --- # Challenge ## Make enterprise hardware disappear into the job Mobile retail hardware often asks frontline employees to choose between capability and convenience. More devices can mean more weight, more charging, more loose components and more equipment to manage in an already constrained workspace. Southwest needed a different answer: an iPhone-based solution that could support fast onboard transactions without feeling like bulky enterprise hardware. The requirements shaped every design decision. The system needed to be: - Light and comfortable enough for all-day use - Protective without being oversized - Fast and intuitive during cabin service - Ready for both contactless and chip-card payments - Effective in intermittent and low-connectivity environments - Simple to charge and manage as an enterprise fleet - Secure in a pocket, bag or crossbody configuration - Customizable for Southwest's brand and its people - Durable enough for the intensity of everyday airline operations **Suggested image:** Flight attendants carrying or holding the case inside the cabin. --- # Solution ## A normal case on purpose. A complete retail platform inside. The Awesome Case was designed to feel familiar from the first moment it is picked up. Its slim profile and balanced weight make it feel like an everyday protective phone case. Inside, it is anything but ordinary. MOST engineered an integrated system that connects the iPhone, payment reader, power, data and accessories. The result gives flight attendants one cohesive working tool instead of a collection of separate devices. --- ## The MOST Mini Puck ### Removable when it is needed. Integrated when it is not. At the center of the system is the MOST Mini Puck, an ultra-slim and lightweight removable payment device invented by MOST. Integrated contact pins allow the puck to share power and data with the case. Magnets guide it naturally into the correct position, so attaching and removing it becomes a simple, intuitive motion. The reader can be presented directly to a passenger without handing over the phone. After payment, it returns to the case in one movement and becomes part of the integrated system again. This modular design also allows the iPhone and payment device to be managed, serviced or upgraded independently—an important advantage for large enterprise fleets. **Suggested visual:** A three-frame sequence or short video: remove the puck, accept payment, snap it back into place. --- ## Why a dedicated payment reader still matters ### Designed for the realities of airline retail Tap to Pay on iPhone can be valuable for many payment scenarios. In high-frequency airline retail, however, speed, payment flexibility and operational resilience are essential. A dedicated reader allows crews to accept contactless payments as well as cards that must be inserted and read by chip. It creates a clear interaction for the passenger and avoids the need to hand over the iPhone itself. Combined with MOST's payment technology, the platform is designed for the intermittent and low-connectivity conditions encountered onboard, helping crews keep service moving when a conventional connected retail environment cannot be assumed. For an airline, the advantage is not simply another way to accept payment. It is a purpose-built transaction experience for the cabin. **Suggested image:** Passenger-facing close-up of contactless payment beside a second close-up of chip-card insertion. --- ## Engineered to be as close to indestructible as possible ### Protection that goes beyond the outside of the phone MOST approached the interior electronics with an uncompromising objective: engineer them to withstand the repeated handling, charging and movement of daily airline operations. Particular attention was given to the charging interface. Flight attendants connect and disconnect equipment frequently, often while moving and working in restricted spaces. Under that kind of use, even the iPhone's own charging port can become vulnerable to damage. The Awesome Case uses a reinforced charging interface designed to take that operational strain. It protects the physical integrity of the phone while also helping protect the charging port that keeps it in service. At the same time, the case charges both the iPhone and the Mini Puck through one integrated system, simplifying the charging routine and reducing the number of separate devices employees and operational teams must manage. **Suggested image:** Cutaway, exploded view or manufacturing close-up showing the electronics and reinforced charging interface. --- ## Secure by design ### Easy off. Easy on. Locked when it matters. Magnets make the Mini Puck fast and intuitive to position, but airline operations also require physical security. MOST designed a mechanical locking system in the shape of the MOST logo. It helps prevent the payment puck from detaching accidentally while the case is carried in a bag, pocket or crossbody configuration. The result is a system that feels effortless during a transaction and reassuring everywhere else. **Suggested image:** Macro detail of the MOST-shaped lock, followed by the secured puck in profile. --- # Personalization ## Built for Southwest. Made personal for its people. The Awesome Case was created as an extension of the Southwest brand, with custom colors, graphics and product details that make it immediately recognizable. Personalization can go further through the MOST Magic Plate, a lightweight aluminum stand that attaches to the case. A plate can represent the state a flight attendant calls home, recognize achievement through gold, silver or five-star editions, or carry a completely individualized design. That turns enterprise equipment into something more meaningful: a way to express identity, celebrate performance and build pride among the people carrying it. The broader accessory platform can also include crossbody straps, rapid charging equipment, cables and other components configured around the airline's workflow. **Suggested image:** A collection of Magic Plates showing state, recognition and individual designs, followed by the complete accessory family. --- # From design brief to deployment ## One partner from concept through production MOST managed the complete product journey: concept development, industrial design, electronic and mechanical engineering, prototyping, tooling, testing, branding, manufacturing, assembly and delivery. Because the design and manufacturing process is managed as one connected program, customization is part of the product from the beginning—not a logo added at the end. The platform can be adapted through: - Airline-specific colors and branding - Payment-device and transaction requirements - Custom materials and finishes - Personalized Magic Plates - Carrying, mounting and charging accessories - Fleet-management and kitting requirements - Production quantities ranging from focused programs to large deployments This gives airlines a proven starting point while preserving the freedom to create a solution that feels entirely their own. It also allows MOST to move from customization into production quickly. **Suggested media:** Manufacturing gallery or short video showing tooling, molding, electronics assembly, printing, inspection, kitting and finished units. --- # Outcome ## Technology flight attendants want to carry The Awesome Case transforms the iPhone into a secure, modular and airline-ready retail companion without sacrificing the familiar experience of a normal protective case. For flight attendants, it keeps essential tools powered, protected and together while making the payment moment fast and natural. For Southwest, it provides a purpose-built platform that reflects the airline's brand and supports the realities of cabin service. For MOST, the enthusiastic reception is the clearest validation of the design philosophy behind it: the best enterprise technology does not interrupt the job. It becomes a natural part of it. ### Recommended outcome callouts - One slim system for phone, payment, power and data - Faster, more flexible passenger payment interactions - Protection for the iPhone and its charging interface - Fewer loose components for crews to carry and manage - Independent management and upgrade paths for phone and payment reader - Airline-level branding with employee-level personalization **Optional approved testimonial:** > “[INSERT APPROVED SOUTHWEST OR FLIGHT-ATTENDANT QUOTE ABOUT WEIGHT, EASE OF USE, SPEED OR PRIDE IN THE PRODUCT.]” **Suggested image:** Candid photograph of Southwest employees enthusiastically holding the finished cases. --- # Build yours ## Southwest has its Awesome Case. What should yours look like? The underlying platform is ready to be configured around another airline's brand, crews, payment environment and operating model. MOST can customize the case, payment device, colors, graphics, accessories, personalization and production program—then manufacture it in the quantities your airline needs and on the timeline your operation demands. Build one for your airline Talk to MOST