InformationWeek

NeoPoint will initially use its myAladdin.com portal to provide real-time flight information and availability, with plans to offer complete flight-booking transactions to travelers with Wireless Access Protocol, Web-enabled cell phones, and personal digital assistants. The services should be available by year's end; pricing hasn't been set.

"Our goal is to improve the travel experience by providing valuable travel information to the largest possible wireless audience by working with third parties like NeoPoint, wireless network operators, and mobile device makers," says Vela

McClam-Mitchell, a VP at Worldspan, which charges fees to third-party participants for using its content.

The drive to make travelers happier and more productive accelerated last week as American Airlines Inc. teamed with MobileStar Network Corp. to deploy wireless LAN packages that give notebook computers high-speed Internet access to company applications such as E-mail. The services will roll out in 49 Admirals Clubs by year's end. Customers will pay MobileStar $249 for an adapter card and software and $50 a month to use the wireless network.

Rival Delta Air Lines Inc. sketched out plans for its wireless information services, as did online business travel booker GetThere.com. The companies don't charge for their services, which are available now, but customers must pay for a wireless connection from a service provider, which costs about $10 a month. "It's becoming a horse race to roll out information services that go beyond flight status," says Dylan Brooks, an airline-technology analyst at Jupiter Communications. "The ultimate goal is to offer real-time alerts if flights are canceled or delayed and to buy tickets over mobile devices."