America West's Wireless Takeoff By Jade Boyd Uncertainty about which types of wireless Internet technology will dominate is leading America West Airlines and other early adopters to outsource e-business services rather than invest in infrastructure that could be obsolete within a few months. While most enterprises are holding off on adding these capabilities to their sites, wireless is catching on in niche markets such as air travel, where business travelers often are away from a wired connection. The airline is outsourcing to wireless service provider Everypath in an effort to get to market quickly without significant up-front capital investment.
Airlines have little choice but to add services because competition within the market is fierce.
Competitors such as Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines already offer similar services, said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with Forrester Research. Wireless is still so new that it is impossible to know which technologic platform will catch on, Harteveldt said. The addition of Everypath didn't require changes to America West's site, said Lloyd Parker, the airline's managing director for e-business. America West worked with Everypath during the development of the wireless site to make certain it looked and operated in a fashion similar to the airline's wired Web site. The Everypath server recognizes the type of device and browser being used, sends the appropriate Web code and handles all subsequent requests.