SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE AIR? YOU DON'T KNOW THE HALF OF IT

Money-changing machines soon will be soaring in the friendlysky.

Sophisticated automated teller machines that accept paper billsin one or multiple currencies, then spit out the equivalent cashused in the destination city, will be available on jetliners earlynext year.

No more worrying about where to get change for the taxi or busin a non-English-speaking airport. No more hassle getting rid offoreign currency when you get home. It can be taken care ofin-flight.Besides offering passenger convenience, airbornecurrency-exchange machines also will produce revenue for theairlines, said Thomas Lee, vice president of marketing and salesfor the developer, Aero-Design Technology of Valencia, Calif. Hiscompany was an exhibitor at the World Airline EntertainmentAssociation's trade show here last month.Swiss Air and Cathay Pacific Airways were the first carriers toorder the machines. Lee believes they'll be popular with all majorairlines before long.Passengers will be able to use bank or debit cards to get cash,too.Exchange rates will be updated daily, Lee said. The machinesalso eventually will be able to dispense postage stamps andtravelers' checks. A suggested fee for such a service is $2.25, butthat may vary.Other displays at the association's trade show suggest airlinepassengers soon will be able to enjoy a range of highly interactivetechnological developments. But they are going to have to pay towatch live television and use other special features, as well as tomake phone calls, because the systems are costly to install.Because of passenger demand, seat-back entertainment centers,now used by major airlines in first-class sections, are becomingmore widespread in economy class, especially on internationalflights. They offer more alternatives for shopping, movies, gamesand even gambling.Telephones and computer connections at each seat are becomingstandard items. Fax machines are available, but not at every seat.Cameras are being mounted on aircraft so passengers can call upviews of the ground below on personal screens. Live television newssoon will be offered, and some systems already can provide selectedWorld Wide Web sites from the Internet.CNN last month announced an agreement with In-Flight Phone tomake its news headlines available free, initially on America WestAirlines and Continental Airlines jets.One of the first companies to offer in-flight, casino-stylegambling equipment is Interactive Flight Technologies of New York.It has just teamed up with the Pritzker family of Chicago, owner ofHyatt, to help market its digital systems.Offering large touch-activated screens, the system integrates avariety of entertainment, including up to 30 movies. LanceFieldman, a company representative, demonstrated how, with a flickof a finger, written instructions and sound are provided in up to16 languages, as well as phone service, shopping, altitude andspeed data, games and gambling, and whatever news or Web sites anairline wants to offer.Passengers use a credit card to access the pay part of thesystem. Gambling winnings are credited to the card. Airlines usethe system for meal selection and can provide free information onconnecting flights, hotels, taxis, rental cars and airport layouts.