But those street brokers aren't always acting in the best interests of borrowers, as their main motivation is getting the best commission they can and steering customers in that direction.
They also serve a purpose: to give directions to customers as they move through the stations at this serve-yourself shop.
But to hold down inventories, the hookup has to go in two directions: to customers at one end, as Honeywell's consumer products group is doing with its new order system, and to suppliers at the other end.
"This is the direction our customers are pushing us," he said.
Those who follow the programs describe the changes as a slight shift in a more consumer-friendly direction, giving customers more ways to earn and redeem miles.
Things have been tough for the so-called legacy carriers since the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, as they have been pulled in opposing directions by customer demands for lower fares and labor demands for higher wages.
A few words spoken into a smartphone can summon an Internet search; doctors use voice-transcription software for patient records; drivers talk to speech-recognition systems in cars that reply with driving directions; and customer questions to call centers are increasingly being answered by automated speech systems.
This means that users can now get real time info on weather, safer routes, directions, elevations, customer markers and traffic, on top of leaderboards, the ability to check-in at workout locations and compare progress to specific groups, be it friends, running rivals or local clubs.
The question now in court cases and for regulators is whether too much safety has been compromised, and whether automakers have set a balance too far in the direction of customer desires and too little in the interest of safety.
