The airline industry generally hasn't been at the forefront of IT-enabled customer service, and passenger frustration often bears this out. But over the next couple years, airlines will begin deploying new handheld technologies that may improve the traveler's experience, reports Jad Mouawad at The New York Times.

Airlines today still use 50-year-old computer systems, which do not necessarily exchange data effectively, Mouawad reports. The primary objective of the technology was to assist the airline, not the customer, which is why passengers may find different information regarding the same flight, depending on which monitors they look at or which gate agents they ask.  

American Airlines is trying to fix this kind of problem with a product named Yada ("your assistance delivered anywhere"), which will enable agents to help customers on the spot, doing things like finding lost luggage and rebooking flights. Using small, portable  devices, they will be able to print out boarding passes, charge for bags at the gate and process credit cards.

For more:
- see Jad Mouawad's article at The New York Times

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