Southwest Airlines Saved From Global IT Outage Thanks To 32-Year-Old Microsoft System
- Thread starter GON
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Some here may be interested to learn that IBM OS2 still is being used in the NY city subway system, and many traffic signal systems still use it as well. https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmp...system-that-keeps-the-nyc-subway-system-alive
As someone that visits factories on a regular basis - many factories are still running on very old architecture. If the process does not change, the only reason to upgrade would be no replacement parts.
However I can see why it would not work with modern airlines, with all the tight and ever changing schedules and code sharing, and I am sure a billion operational things I have no clue about. Still, I don't think SWA code shares with anyone, so that might be part of their simplicity.
As someone that visits factories on a regular basis - many factories are still running on very old architecture. If the process does not change, the only reason to upgrade would be no replacement parts.
However I can see why it would not work with modern airlines, with all the tight and ever changing schedules and code sharing, and I am sure a billion operational things I have no clue about. Still, I don't think SWA code shares with anyone, so that might be part of their simplicity.
I don't care if a car company contracts out the manufacturing of parts and that a third party manufactured a bad part - I paid the car manufacturer and I blame the car manufacturer for hiring them, not monitoring them, having insufficient QC in place, or whatever I just care that it doesn't work.
GON
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I few months back I read an article stating that ESPN was the number service Americans pay for that they don't use. The premise of the article is if you are a subscriber to cable/ dish networks, ESPN must be/ is required to be included in the subscription, yet a healthy percentage of cable/ dish subscribers don't ever watch ESPN.
Well, I have written more code and have been responsible for a major mission critical application for a multi billion dollar company.
All I can tell you is, software is tough and a lot of work.
Up-time is the most important consideration. It ain't easy because you never know what is coming next and from where.
All I can tell you is, software is tough and a lot of work.
Up-time is the most important consideration. It ain't easy because you never know what is coming next and from where.
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Didn't affect my two flights yesterday.
I wasn't even aware of the news until an FA asked me about it on the return leg.
We landed early.
I wasn't even aware of the news until an FA asked me about it on the return leg.
We landed early.
GON
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My 15 yr old nephew had his flight cancelled over this. The next available flight is tomorrow so hes stuck at an airport
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Pretty sure it affected our flights too, I was just lucky I guess.
Folks - enough of the discussion about the DNC and FBI.
Both are off topic and starting to become political.
Both are off topic and starting to become political.
Likewise, if a business gets hit with a cyberattack, it’s usually a third party on retainer with an insurer that will respond. Palo Alto Networks does a lot of this, IIRC.
The meltdown even has a Wikipedia page.
15,000 cancellations at one airline over the holiday week.
The largest single airline schedule disruption, ever.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Southwest_Airlines_scheduling_crisis
Keeping that IT architecture in place is not an example of good planning, good preparedness, good decision making, or, most importantly, making good on a promise of improvement.
15,000 cancellations at one airline over the holiday week.
The largest single airline schedule disruption, ever.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Southwest_Airlines_scheduling_crisis
Keeping that IT architecture in place is not an example of good planning, good preparedness, good decision making, or, most importantly, making good on a promise of improvement.
That's true, but the bottom line to you and me as consumers is, a system either works or doesn't. It's binary.
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
Thanks for posting the link about SWA's meltdown.
I am starting to read more about the meltdown. This is a quite from SWA'a CIO:
Our technology could not handle the process of matching up those crew members with the aircraft. Southwest ended up with planes that were ready to take off with available crew, but the company's scheduling software wasn't able to match them quickly and accurately.
Link to the article the quote came from:
https://diginomica.com/what-just-ha...ary-tale-about-underfunding-key-it-technology
