Once a user opts in, the service provider can take the highly granular data thrown off by the mobile device and use it to provide a better, more tailored experience.

FORBES: By Capturing Mobile Data, IBM's Clients Serve Their Customers Better

Part of the reservations system calculates the weight of the airplane based off passenger, fuel and luggage data, which is necessary for the airplane to safely take off.

WSJ: Delays Hit 1,300 American Airlines Flights

The participants in the challenege will get a two month set of data from the National Airspace System, which includes a slew of data such as flight number, origin, destination, take-off time, arrival time, latitude and longitude at frequent interim waypoints along the journey and weather and wind data.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down