| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five is not the first time such issues have occurred within the same organization. The article mentions that the baggage system at Terminal Five has faced a "litany of issues" since the terminal opened in 2008, indicating a history of problems with the system [86839].
(b) The incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five is not an isolated case, as other organizations have also faced similar issues. The article mentions that the baggage system breakdown at Heathrow occurred amid threats of a summer of strike action that could affect holidaymakers' flying plans, indicating potential disruptions in other organizations as well [86839]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was attributed to a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go. This indicates a failure related to the design phase, where contributing factors introduced during system development led to the breakdown of the baggage system [86839]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was within the system. The problem originated in a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go [86839]. The baggage system breakdown was caused by a fault in the baggage processing system at Terminal 5, which is an internal system component responsible for handling baggage logistics within the airport. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was attributed to a non-human action, specifically a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go [86839]. This non-human action led to the breakdown of the baggage system, causing chaos and long queues for passengers at the airport.
(b) Human actions also played a role in the incident as passengers faced delays and missed flights due to the baggage system failure. Passengers reported staff standing around and not actively helping with manual bag tagging, which could have potentially alleviated some of the issues caused by the software failure [86839]. Additionally, the airline communicated with passengers on Twitter, acknowledging the baggage system issue and the delays it was causing, indicating human intervention in managing the situation. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was reported to have originated in a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors that originate in software [86839].
(b) The software failure incident at Terminal Five was specifically mentioned to have originated in a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go. This points to the failure being due to contributing factors that originate in software [86839]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was non-malicious. The problem originated from a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go [86839]. The incident caused chaos and long queues at the baggage drop area, leading to delays and missed flights for passengers. The airline, British Airways, acknowledged the issue and mentioned it was a baggage system problem that slowed down customers dropping off their bags. They assured passengers that all flights were operating as normal and that they were working hard to minimize disruption [86839]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was attributed to a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go [86839]. This indicates that the intent of the software failure incident was likely accidental_decisions, as it was caused by a mistake or unintended issue in the software program rather than poor decisions. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport's Terminal Five was attributed to a software issue with a program that communicates between someone's itinerary and where their baggage needs to go. This indicates a failure due to development incompetence, possibly a coding error or oversight in the software system [86839].
(b) The incident caused chaos at the airport, leading to long queues, missed flights, and delays for passengers. The baggage system breakdown resulted in hundreds of bags piling up behind screens, causing significant inconvenience to travelers. This accidental failure disrupted the normal operations of the airport and led to a backlog of luggage that needed to be cleared [86839]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was temporary. The article mentions that the baggage system breakdown caused long queues and delays for passengers, but the issue was resolved by about 10.30 am on the same day [86839]. This indicates that the software failure was not permanent but rather a temporary disruption that was eventually fixed. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value |
(a) crash: The software failure incident at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five was due to a baggage system breakdown, resulting in long queues and chaos for thousands of passengers. The baggage belts broke down, leading to delays and missed flights for travelers. The issue was described as a "baggage system issue" that slowed down customers dropping off their bags [86839].
(b) omission: Passengers faced queues at the Terminal Five bag drop of up to two hours, causing some to miss their flights. Bags that did not travel with the passenger were to be put on the next available flight, potentially causing delays of up to 24 hours. The software issue affected the communication between a passenger's itinerary and the destination of their baggage, leading to the omission of proper baggage handling [86839].
(c) timing: The baggage system issue caused delays in accepting baggage, leading to longer wait times for passengers. The airline informed passengers on Twitter that due to the baggage system issue, it was taking longer than usual to accept baggage. The staff at London Heathrow were approaching passengers and assisting those with imminent departures, indicating that the system was functioning but not in a timely manner [86839].
(d) value: The software issue with the baggage system caused the system to perform its intended functions incorrectly, resulting in delays, missed flights, and chaos for passengers. Passengers expressed frustration on social media about the long queues, delays, and lack of movement at the bag drop area. The system's failure to handle baggage properly led to disruptions and inconvenience for travelers [86839].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not provide information indicating a byzantine behavior of the software failure incident.
(f) other: The software failure incident also led to concerns about lost luggage and the need for passengers to log complaints with the airline for lost luggage. Passengers who arrived at their destination without their luggage were advised to file a lost luggage complaint with the airline and keep receipts for essential items purchased. The incident also raised expectations for British Airways to reroute passengers who missed their flights due to the delays and provide compensation if flights were canceled due to the ongoing disruption [86839]. |