| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- The incident involving the online glitch with hugely discounted flight tickets occurred with United Airlines [33682].
- United Airlines had to void all tickets sold at the discounted rates due to the error caused by a third-party software provider applying an incorrect currency exchange rate [33682].
- The airline had previously faced a similar situation where customers were able to book flights at significantly lower prices due to a software glitch on their website [33682].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- There is no specific information in the provided article about the same software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the United Airlines case was related to the design phase. The error occurred due to a third-party software provider applying an incorrect currency exchange rate, resulting in the online glitch that allowed customers to book first class flights at significantly discounted rates [33682].
(b) The software failure incident in the United Airlines case was also related to the operation phase. Customers were able to take advantage of the glitch by registering themselves as being located in Denmark on the website, which was an operational misuse of the system that led to the error in bookings [33682]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident involving United Airlines' online glitch that led to hugely discounted ticket prices was attributed to a 'third-party error' in the software provider's application of an incorrect currency exchange rate. United Airlines stated that the error was made by a third-party software provider, which resulted in the incorrect pricing of the tickets on the website [33682].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors outside the system, as customers took advantage of the glitch by registering themselves as being located in Denmark to access the significantly discounted fares. This external factor of customers exploiting the system's vulnerability from outside the intended usage contributed to the incident [33682]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurred due to non-human actions, specifically a 'third-party error' where a third-party software provider applied an incorrect currency exchange rate, resulting in the online glitch that allowed customers to book hugely discounted flights [33682].
(b) The software failure incident also involved human actions, as customers took advantage of the glitch by registering themselves as being located in Denmark to book the heavily discounted flights. This led to United Airlines refusing to honor the bookings made during the glitch, accusing customers of trying to 'take advantage' of the situation [33682]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The incident reported in the article does not mention any hardware-related issues contributing to the software failure. Therefore, there is no information available in the articles about the software failure incident occurring due to hardware.
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident reported in the article was attributed to a 'third-party error' in the software that United Airlines used. The error was specifically mentioned as being caused by a third-party software provider applying an incorrect currency exchange rate, leading to the online glitch that allowed customers to book flights at hugely discounted rates [33682]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to a third-party error in applying an incorrect currency exchange rate, leading to the online glitch that allowed customers to book highly discounted first-class flights [33682]. The incident was not caused by any malicious intent but rather by a mistake in the software system. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident was poor_decisions. United Airlines customers were left furious after the company announced that it would be voiding all tickets sold at hugely discounted rates due to an online glitch. The airline blamed a 'third-party error' for the mistake and accused customers of trying to 'take advantage' of the situation. United refused to honor bookings made during the website glitch, stating that a third-party software provider made an error with an incorrect currency exchange rate, despite United having properly filed its fares. This decision led to a backlash from customers, with many threatening legal action and expressing disappointment and frustration [33682]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in Article 33682 can be attributed to development incompetence. The incident occurred due to a third-party software provider applying an incorrect currency exchange rate, resulting in hugely discounted fares being offered on United Airlines' website. United Airlines blamed the third-party error for the mistake and accused customers of trying to take advantage of the situation. The error primarily impacted individuals outside of Denmark who were not traveling to or from Denmark but were attempting to book tickets using United's Denmark site. This indicates a lack of professional competence in handling the currency exchange rate by the third-party software provider, leading to the glitch and subsequent issues [33682].
(b) The software failure incident in Article 33682 can also be considered accidental. The glitch that led to the hugely discounted fares being offered on United Airlines' website was not intentional but rather an accidental error introduced by the third-party software provider. Customers were able to take advantage of the error by registering themselves as being located in Denmark, which was not the intended use of the website. The error was quickly rectified by United Airlines to prevent further purchases at the incorrect rates, indicating that the incident was accidental in nature [33682]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the United Airlines case was temporary. The glitch that allowed customers to purchase first class, round-trip flights at hugely discounted rates was identified by customers on Wednesday morning, and the error was rectified by the airline eight hours later on the same day. United Airlines issued a statement in the evening stating that they would void the bookings made during the website glitch, indicating that the issue was resolved within a relatively short timeframe [33682].
(b) The temporary nature of the software failure incident is further supported by the fact that United Airlines quickly made changes to prevent anyone else from purchasing the cheap tickets after the error was discovered. The option to select Denmark as the country from the drop-down menu on the website, which allowed customers to access the discounted fares, was no longer available later in the day, indicating that the issue was addressed promptly [33682]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the United Airlines case can be categorized as a crash. The glitch on the website led to the system losing its state and not performing its intended functions, resulting in the offering of hugely discounted tickets that were not meant to be available at those prices. This crash led to the system failing to handle the currency exchange rate correctly, causing the error in pricing the tickets [33682].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The system omitted to perform its intended functions correctly at an instance when it failed to apply the correct currency exchange rate, leading to the erroneous pricing of the tickets. This omission resulted in customers being able to book first-class flights at significantly lower prices than usual due to the system's failure to accurately process the currency conversion [33682].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with the timing category as the system did not perform its intended functions too late or too early. The issue was more related to incorrect pricing due to a glitch rather than a timing-related failure [33682].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a value failure. The system performed its intended functions incorrectly by applying an incorrect currency exchange rate, resulting in the tickets being priced much lower than they should have been. This incorrect value calculation led to customers being able to book first-class flights at a fraction of their actual cost [33682].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with the byzantine category as there were no indications of inconsistent responses or interactions from the system. The failure was more straightforward in terms of the system incorrectly handling the currency exchange rate, leading to the pricing error [33682].
(f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as an 'other' behavior as well. This categorization is due to the fact that the failure was a result of a third-party software provider's error in applying the incorrect currency exchange rate, which impacted the system's pricing mechanism. The incident involved a combination of factors such as external software integration issues and internal system processing errors that led to the glitch on the website [33682]. |