| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions that the technical issue causing massive delays to British Airways flights was related to a third-party flight planning supplier. This incident is not the first time British Airways has faced such issues, as the article references a previous incident earlier in the year where the flight computers were down for two hours worldwide [136530].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article does not provide specific information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the British Airways case seems to be related to the operation phase rather than the design phase. The incident was attributed to a 'technical issue with our third-party flight planning supplier' [136530]. This indicates that the failure was due to factors introduced during the operation or use of the system, specifically in the flight planning process, rather than during the development or design phases. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within_system. The technical issue with the flight planning systems, specifically with a third-party flight planning supplier, caused delays and cancellations of British Airways flights [136530]. The article mentions that the issue affected the long-haul flight planning systems, resulting in delays to the schedule and disruptions to customers' travel plans. The airline stated that the problem was a temporary issue with their flight planning systems, which they urgently investigated and resolved [136530]. This indicates that the root cause of the failure was internal to the airline's systems.
(b) The software failure incident does not indicate any contributing factors originating from outside the system. The delays and cancellations were attributed to a technical issue with the flight planning systems, specifically with a third-party flight planning supplier, which the airline was urgently investigating and resolving [136530]. There is no mention in the articles of external factors such as cyberattacks, external system failures, or environmental factors contributing to the software failure incident. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurred due to non-human actions, specifically a 'technical issue with its flight plans' as reported by the company, which caused delays and cancellations of long-haul flights [136530].
(b) The software failure incident also involved human actions, such as passengers expressing frustration on social media, including complaints about lack of access to food and water, delays on the tarmac, and difficulties in rebooking flights [136530]. Additionally, there were reports of passengers being stranded, having to find alternate ways of travel, and facing challenges in getting assistance from the airline's customer service [136530]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles was primarily attributed to a technical issue with the flight planning systems, which is a software-related problem. The delays and cancellations of flights were caused by a glitch in the third-party flight planning supplier's systems, leading to disruptions in the flight schedules [136530].
(b) The software failure incident was not reported to be caused by hardware issues. The focus was on a technical glitch in the flight planning systems, indicating that the contributing factors originated in the software rather than hardware [136530]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 136530 was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to a 'technical issue with its flight plans' by British Airways, causing delays and cancellations of long-haul flights just days before Christmas [136530]. The incident was described as a 'technical glitch' that affected the airline's flight planning systems, resulting in delays to the schedule and disruptions to thousands of passengers worldwide [136530]. The airline clarified that it was not a safety issue and that they were providing customers with updates and refreshments while working to resolve the issue [136530]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the British Airways flight delays and cancellations was primarily due to poor decisions. The incident was caused by a 'technical issue with its flight plans' which led to delays and cancellations of multiple long-haul flights just days before Christmas [136530]. The technical glitch affected the flight planning systems, resulting in massive delays and disruptions to the airline's schedule, leaving passengers stranded across the globe. The issue was attributed to a third-party flight planning supplier, indicating a decision to rely on an external provider for critical flight planning services, which ultimately led to the failure [136530]. The incident highlights the importance of ensuring the reliability and contingency planning of critical software systems in the aviation industry to prevent such widespread disruptions.
(b) The software failure incident related to the British Airways flight delays and cancellations was also influenced by accidental decisions. The incident was described as a 'technical issue' with the flight planning systems, suggesting an unintentional failure rather than a deliberate action [136530]. The disruption caused by the software failure was not intentional but rather a result of unforeseen technical issues with the third-party flight planning supplier. The delays and cancellations were not planned or expected, indicating that the incident was accidental in nature. The airline apologized for the disruptions and emphasized that the issue was not a safety concern, further supporting the accidental nature of the software failure [136530]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the British Airways case was attributed to a 'technical issue with its flight plans' [136530]. This technical issue led to massive delays and cancellations of long-haul flights, affecting thousands of passengers globally. The failure was not explicitly mentioned as being due to development incompetence but rather a technical glitch related to flight planning systems.
(b) The software failure incident in the British Airways case was described as a 'technical issue with our third-party flight planning supplier' [136530]. This indicates that the failure was not intentional but rather an accidental issue that arose with the third-party flight planning system, causing disruptions to the airline's schedule and inconveniencing passengers. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 136530 was temporary. The article mentions that the technical issue with the flight planning systems was a temporary problem that affected some of British Airways' long-haul flight planning systems overnight, resulting in delays to their schedule. The issue was resolved by the airline's teams, and they apologized for the disruption caused to customers' travel plans [136530]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the British Airways case led to flights being delayed and cancelled, leaving passengers stranded across the globe. Flights were grounded, and passengers were stuck on the tarmac for hours due to the technical failure with the flight planning systems [136530].
(b) omission: The software failure incident resulted in flights being delayed and cancelled, causing the system to omit performing its intended functions of ensuring timely departures and arrivals. Passengers reported being held back for hours with no access to food and very little access to water, indicating a failure in providing essential services [136530].
(c) timing: The software failure incident caused delays in flights departing from the US and Caribbean, leading to passengers being stranded just days before Christmas. Flights were disrupted, and severe knock-on effects were expected, indicating that the system performed its intended functions but at an incorrect time, causing inconvenience to passengers [136530].
(d) value: The software failure incident resulted in flights being cancelled and delayed, impacting the value provided to customers who were left stranded and frustrated. Passengers faced long delays, cancellations, and lack of access to essential services like food and water, indicating a failure in delivering the expected value of timely and smooth travel experiences [136530].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The primary issue seemed to be a technical failure with the flight planning systems, leading to delays and cancellations rather than erratic or inconsistent behavior [136530].
(f) other: The software failure incident also led to baggage delays at Heathrow, with passengers facing long waits for their luggage. The system failure extended beyond flight operations to baggage handling, causing further inconvenience to passengers who had to wait for extended periods to retrieve their belongings [136530]. |