Lou, TE Paul,
We own a deep tine aerifier. We bought it because we had areas in our fwys and apps that were very compacted and had less than 2" roots. Obviously, these areas also did not drain well as the water ran off. Aerification done right increases the macropores in the soil, thus increasing the air exchange and the percolation. In our case we had a hard layer 2" - 10" under the surface that once we penetrated we were able to increase percolation and aeration porosity resulting in deeper roots and healthier grass. This was not a one time deal, and we continue to deep tine most of our short grass each summer and follow with a gypsum application. Another technique I have seen used to combat the situations you describe are drill and fill using the Floyd McKay machines. This is not cheap, but I have seen it work.
Lou, Mike makes a very good point about the drains in your collection areas. They may look OK to the eye, but they need to set perfectly to work perfectly. One common mistake I see, especially with bermuda grass, is the slopes to the drains are not steep enough. I forget the recommended slope for bermuda, but I think it is in the 5% range. You can remedy the situation with some additional drainage work.
TE Paul, in your case the key thing to remember is you have an ongoing problem on your hands that is not going to be overcome by any one shot deal. In your case, deep tine followed by wetting agents, done twice a year may work.