| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident has happened again at British Airways. The article mentions that British Airways has faced a series of operational problems, including severe computer system failures in the past. In 2017, over a May bank holiday weekend, 75,000 passengers were stranded when the airline was forced to cancel more than 700 flights over three days. This indicates a recurrence of software failure incidents within the same organization [88161].
(b) The software failure incident has also happened at other organizations or with their products and services. The article mentions that Ryanair pilots who are members of the Balpa union announced five days of walkouts due to issues with Ryanair's operations. Additionally, Heathrow ground staff were planning a strike unless talks resulted in a compromise, indicating operational issues at multiple organizations [88161]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where British Airways faced a systems failure that resulted in the cancellation or delay of more than 500 flights. The failure was attributed to a computer failure that affected the London airports, leading to operational disruptions and difficulties for customers checking in online. The airline had to resort to manual systems to keep flights operating, indicating a failure in the designed system [88161].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the same article where customers experienced difficulties checking in online, queues formed in airport departure areas, and some social media users reported that the food and drink service on flights was affected. These issues arose due to the operation or misuse of the system as the airline had to implement manual systems to manage the disruptions caused by the computer failure [88161]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident at British Airways was primarily within the system. The article mentions that the computer failure affected only the London airports, leading to the cancellation and delay of more than 500 flights [88161]. Additionally, the disruption caused by the failure had knock-on effects at other airports and European destinations when incoming flights failed to arrive. The airline had to resort to manual systems to keep flights operating, and customers experienced difficulties checking in online [88161]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident with British Airways was primarily due to non-human actions. The article mentions that the systems failure resulted in the cancellation and delay of more than 500 flights, affecting passengers at London airports and causing disruptions in various European destinations. The computer failure led to difficulties in online check-ins, queues at departure areas, and even impacted the food and drink service on some flights. The airline had to resort to manual systems to keep flights operating until the issue was resolved [88161].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The article highlights the separate strike actions faced by British Airways, including threatened industrial action by Heathrow staff and upcoming strikes by the airline's pilots. The strikes and industrial actions by human employees could have contributed to the operational problems faced by the airline, adding to the challenges caused by the software failure [88161]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article was primarily due to contributing factors originating in software. The article mentions that British Airways faced a systems failure resulting in the cancellation and delay of more than 500 flights. The disruption was caused by a computer failure affecting London airports and leading to difficulties in online check-ins, queues at departure areas, and disruptions in food and drink services on flights [88161].
(b) The software failure incident was not explicitly attributed to hardware issues in the articles. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at British Airways was non-malicious. The incident was described as a systems failure affecting multiple London airports, leading to the cancellation and delay of over 500 flights. The disruption caused inconvenience to tens of thousands of passengers, with difficulties in online check-ins and manual systems being implemented to keep flights operating [88161]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
unknown |
The software failure incident at British Airways, where more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed, was not explicitly attributed to poor decisions or accidental decisions in the articles provided [88161]. The incident was primarily described as a systems failure that affected the airline's operations, leading to disruptions at various airports. The specific cause of the failure, whether it was due to poor decisions or accidental factors, was not detailed in the articles. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to the British Airways flight cancellations and delays in 2019 could be attributed to development incompetence. The incident was caused by a systems failure that led to the cancellation and delay of more than 500 flights [88161]. The disruption affected multiple airports, including London's Heathrow, Gatwick, and City, as well as other European destinations. Customers faced difficulties with online check-ins, and manual systems had to be implemented to keep flights operating. The incident also impacted services like food and drink on the flights that did take off. This indicates a failure in the systems developed and maintained by British Airways, possibly due to issues related to professional competence in managing and maintaining their systems.
(b) The software failure incident could also be considered accidental. While the specific cause of the systems failure was not detailed in the article, the incident itself was described as a computer failure that affected the airline's operations [88161]. The disruption was not intentional but rather an unexpected event that led to significant flight cancellations and delays. The incident was not attributed to any malicious activity but rather to an accidental failure in the systems, which could have been caused by various factors such as technical glitches, hardware failures, or software bugs. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident experienced by British Airways was temporary. The article mentions that the computer failure affected the airline's operations, leading to the cancellation and delay of more than 500 flights [88161]. The disruption caused by the systems failure was eventually resolved by 4 pm on the same day, indicating that the failure was temporary and not permanent. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, timing, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident involving British Airways resulted in the cancellation or delay of more than 500 flights due to a systems failure. The system lost its state and was not performing its intended functions, leading to operational disruptions at London airports and beyond [Article 88161].
(b) omission: The software failure incident led to difficulties for customers checking in online and queues forming in airport departure areas as the airline had to resort to manual systems to keep flights operating. This omission to perform the intended functions caused inconvenience to passengers [Article 88161].
(c) timing: The software failure incident caused delays in flights, with about half of the BA flights scheduled to depart from Heathrow’s Terminal 5 between 9.30am and midday being cancelled or delayed. The system was performing its intended functions but at the wrong time, resulting in operational disruptions [Article 88161].
(d) value: The software failure incident affected the food and drink service on flights that did take off, indicating that the system was performing its intended functions incorrectly in this aspect [Article 88161].
(e) byzantine: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident exhibiting Byzantine behavior in the articles.
(f) other: The software failure incident also had knock-on effects at other airports, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Belfast, as incoming flights failed to arrive. This unexpected behavior of the system caused disruptions beyond the London airports initially affected [Article 88161]. |