United Airlines' tech operations will be piloted by a new chief information officer in 2008.

The airline said Thursday that it's tapped Electronic Data Systems IT chief Keith Halbert to fill the role starting in January.

Halbert replaces Garry Kelly, who announced plans to retire earlier this year. Halbert was most recently a senior VP and CIO at EDS, which provides tech services to a number of airlines -- including United.

Halbert joined the outsourcer in 2004 when it acquired consulting firm The Feld Group, where he was a managing director. He also served as a "chief development officer" for Delta Air Lines and Home Depot, according to United.

Halbert also spent 10 years in various roles at CSX Technology, Inc. He holds a bachelors degree in computer information systems and an MBA from Jacksonville University in Florida.

The CIO's role is a hot-seat position in the airline industry -- given the stakes if a major IT failure occurs. Earlier this year, United was forced to ground all flights system-wide for two hours due to an outage in a computer system that measures the weight of aircraft prior to take off.

In 2006, a failure of United's computerized reservation system prevented the airline from selling tickets or booking flights for four hours.

EDS officials said the company has not yet identified a replacement for Halbert.