Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Apple Maps Flaw Keeps Directing Drivers To Cross An Airport Runway
Apple Maps Flaw Keeps Directing Drivers To Cross An Airport Runway
Jillian D'OnfroSep 26, 2013, 00:49 IST
ChinaFotoPress/Getty ImagesAn Alaskan airport had to close an aircraft access route because several people blindly obeyed the navigation orders of their inaccurate Apple Maps app. In the past three weeks, two motorists drove along the taxiway and then across a runway at the Fairbanks International airport, the BBC reports. To be fair, Apple only takes credit for directing them to the taxiway. Fairbanks complained to Apple through the local attorney general's office, asking the company to disable the map until it was corrected to avoid any more dangerous situations. Apple apparently responded that it would fix the problem by Wednesday, and directions to the airport seemed to be disabled when we tested. In the meantime, the airport erected barricades to block access to the final stretch of the taxiway.Ever since Apple ditched Google Maps (which, incidentally, directs drivers to avoid the taxiway), it's faced criticism for having multiple errors, including confusing a farm named "Airfield" with the Dublin Airport and stranding Australian drivers in a national park. Recently, Apple has snapped up several other transportation apps and CEO Tim Cook promised on the company's website that "we are doing everything we can to make Maps better."Of course, Apple is not entirely to blame for the Fairbanks fiasco. After all, drivers should always let their common sense overrule their app's robotic voice. The assistant manager of the Fairbanks airport, Angie Spear, described the drivers' mix-ups to the BBC:
