August 26th, 2009
HP lands deal to cook up next-gen American Airlines IT system
AMR, the parent of American Airlines, said Wednesday that it has inked a deal with HP to develop a next-generation Passenger Service System, which runs everything from reservations, pricing, ticketing, flight information and check-in.
The overall goal for AMR is to improve the travel experience—boy is there a lot to fix—in a high-tech way. The implementation of the new system, dubbed Jetstream, will be one worth watching. For starters, a blunder would be high profile and you’d know what IT vendor to choke—HP.
Details about Jetstream (statement) are still sparse, but the system is supposed to utilize “innovative online and mobile travel tools for its customers who are increasingly dependent on technology.”
The real conundrum for airlines is creating systems that are highly transactional yet high-touch enough to make customers think they are cared for. For American, all it really has to do is avoid the customer relations fiasco that has nagged United Airlines. See:
- Smart Planet: Can United Airlines raise its Twitter grade?
- Smart Planet: Dave Carroll v. United Airlines, social media lessons round two
- Smart Planet: Social media lessons: United Airlines breaks guitars
- ZDNet: Deconstructing United Airlines: Where Customers are Transactions
HP plans to use its American Airlines experience to chase other deals with airlines. AMR has had a bevy of high-profile tech projects including the first Passenger Service System 45 years ago and recent projects to improve on-time arrivals and baggage transfers.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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