BBC News By Bernd Debusmann Jr image copyrightGetty Images "Airlines are not usually very good at information technology," says Pascal Buchner, the chief information officer of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) - the trade association for the world's airlines. Anyone who has had their baggage lost, or their flight delayed, would probably agree. But airlines are betting they can improve the situation by making big investments in technology. "We now know that data is the main source of performance for airlines," says Mr Buchner. From predictive maintenance, baggage handling and cargo tracking to staff management and customer loyalty programmes, data - and how all this information is analysed - has rapidly become one of the most important factors in determining how an airline operates successfully.