Where technology has failed the business

For nearly 19 years of my IT career I had the opportunity to support all of the major airlines of the world in their quest for servicing their customers. Along the way I had a chance to work with wireless technologies to serve the airline customer along with other technologies to automate airline services directly and indirectly. Public access wireless LANs were first tried in airports and I was there to solve coverage issues and make the service work. I was also there to help justify the use of RFID for baggage tracking. It is still not in use for that purpose.

I am very disappointed in where we are right now with airline service. Getting people on and off aircraft at gates seems like a hugely difficult task but your favorate restaurant does a better job of filling your favorate seat with low tech solutions. You have little to no chance of knowing whether your bag is going to make it to your destination even though you can be notified of 1000 things in your life straight to your cell phone, including where your teenager is and how fast they are driving. You stand in line and have to remove your shoes in order to prove you are one of the millions of flyers every day that use airlines without posing a threat to yourself, the crews, or your fellow passengers. All of these things were solvable by technology 20 years ago. I know, as I was involved with demonstrations of most of them. Recent revelations of congested airspace in the New York city area were also predictable back then.

There has never been a better example of how technology could have been better deployed had the business been more willing to be forward thinking. I recall offering one airline executive to cut his cost of lost luggage in half ( a seven figure number by the way) if he would allow me to implement my ideas for automating his operation. He refused. In my latest version of the solution I could eliminate that figure completely, sending all the savings to the bottom line.

Technology professionals should be watchful of opportunities to demonstrate the ability to contribute to the bottom line of organizations. At the same time it is wise to be aware that at times your potential contribution can fall on deaf ears in spite of your best efforts. Sometimes that is what "skunk-works" are for.