It’s so nice to know we live in the country that is the technological hub of the world, where everyone enjoys gigabit access at home, where all cell phones work everywhere at minimal cost, where other countries envy our interoperability and connectedness, where… Oops. Sorry about that. My meds had worn off.

Better Airline Tracking Software Could Mean Fewer Stranded Travelers and Less Frequent Delays

At any given moment, the airline industry’s powerful networks of computers are setting fares, tracking reservations and calculating how much fuel each plane needs to reach its destination.

So when a storm shut down Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport last Dec. 29, forcing American Airlines to divert 130 planes to other airports in the region, what high-tech system came into play at the world’s largest airline?

“A legal pad,” said Don Dillman, managing director of American’s operations center here, where dispatchers direct flights around the world.

Lacking any automated system for keeping track of all those diverted planes, Mr. Dillman and his colleagues furiously scribbled down details of where they had gone, how long they had sat there, and whether pilots had enough time left on their daily work limits to keep flying when the weather cleared.

Ultimately, 44 of the planes sat on tarmacs for more than four hours.