At the core of the problem are outdated mainframes and software that process batch transfers of data among the separate systems that handle flight routes, schedules and bookings. Updating the systems for real-time data exchange and analysis will take two to three years, experts said, with the Internet emerging as both the standard interface between incompatible airline systems and the conduit for delivering information to consumers on a variety of devices, including Web phones and PDAs. The technological challenge is to tie all the legacy information into a CRM system and make it meaningful. TWA has put on hold a three-year project to consolidate databases that handle flight routes, scheduling and customer data, pending the company's purchase by American Airlines. Even after airlines complete their own modernization projects to accommodate real-time reporting, they must ensure that information can flow to other airlines just as quickly.
Many passengers use multiple airlines during a single trip.
The airline industry must work together to resolve these problems through partnerships, said Ron Stewart, a managing partner of the transportation and travel practice at Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting. Most of these guys are going out there and rolling their own Web technology. Trying to integrate these technologies into legacy systems is proving very costly and very complex. Airlines have spent most of their Internet dollars on the visible front end of their Web sites, for the purpose of marketing to travelers, letting them book flights and giving them access to frequent flier records. Several airlines have recently completed or are about to complete systems that quickly notify passengers of flight status, no matter where they are.