| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The article mentions a previous incident involving US Airways Group in 2007 when it attempted to combine the reservation systems of America West Airlines and US Airways, resulting in self-service kiosks failing and passengers facing long lines [10669].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
The article compares the United Airlines reservation system integration issues to a similar incident at US Airways Group in 2007 when it tried to combine reservation systems after merging with America West Airlines, resulting in kiosk failures and long lines for passengers [10669]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the United Airlines case can be attributed to the design phase. The article mentions that technical glitches arose during the combination of the United and Continental Airlines reservation systems after the companies merged. Despite months of preparation and training thousands of employees on the new software, issues with airport check-in kiosks caused delays and forced customers to line up to see service agents [10669].
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident can also be linked to the operation phase. The article highlights problems with the company's airport check-in kiosks, leading to delays and impacting the check-in process for customers. The issues with the kiosks and the high call volumes at the call centers resulted in operational challenges for United Airlines [10669]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is primarily within_system. The issues faced by United Airlines, such as flight delays, faulty kiosks, jammed phonelines, and problems with the reservation platform after the merger with Continental Airlines, all point to internal system issues [10669]. The glitches and technical issues were a result of the integration of the reservation systems and the challenges faced with the check-in kiosks and air-miles programs within the United Airlines system. The article mentions that the IT department was still fine-tuning the system to address these internal issues. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the United Airlines reservation system was primarily due to non-human actions. The technical glitches and problems with the airport check-in kiosks were mentioned as the main issues causing delays and customer inconvenience. These issues were related to the software system integration and fine-tuning processes, which were not directly caused by human actions but rather by the complexity of merging the reservation systems of United and Continental Airlines [10669].
(b) Human actions were also involved in the software failure incident at United Airlines. The article mentioned that about 15,000 employees were trained on the new software system in preparation for the transition. Additionally, the article highlighted issues such as delays in merging the airlines' air-miles programs and problems with customer service, which could be attributed to human decisions or actions taken during the transition process [10669]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions technical glitches during the combination of the United and Continental Airlines reservation systems, which led to problems with airport check-in kiosks causing delays [10669].
- The issues with the company's airport check-in kiosks resulted in customers having to line up to see service agents, indicating a hardware-related problem with the kiosks [10669].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The article highlights technical issues that flared up at airports across the system, causing delays after the adoption of the reservation platform of the former Continental Airlines by United Airlines [10669].
- United Airlines faced problems with its airport check-in kiosks, which slowed down the check-in process, indicating a software-related issue with the kiosk software [10669].
- The article also mentions that the company's IT department continues to fine-tune the system, suggesting ongoing software adjustments to address the technical issues [10669]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident reported in Article 10669 was non-malicious. The failure was attributed to technical glitches during the combination of the United and Continental Airlines reservation systems after their merger. Issues such as flight delays, faulty kiosks, jammed phonelines, and problems with airport check-in kiosks were mentioned as part of the software failure incident. The article highlighted that the IT department was working on fine-tuning the system, and the problems were described as glitches rather than intentional malicious actions [10669]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident involving United Airlines' reservation system can be attributed to poor decisions made during the merger of United and Continental Airlines. The article mentions that despite months of preparation and training thousands of employees on the new software, technical issues flared up at airports causing delays and problems with airport check-in kiosks [10669]. This indicates that the decision-making process during the merger and implementation of the new reservation platform may not have been optimal, leading to the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. United Airlines faced service problems, flight delays, faulty kiosks, and jammed phonelines as they worked through technical glitches during the combination of the United and Continental Airlines reservation systems. Despite months of preparation and training about 15,000 employees on the new software, technical issues flared up at airports causing delays and check-in problems [10669].
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental as it was not intentional but rather a result of technical issues that arose unexpectedly during the transition to the new reservation system. The problems with airport check-in kiosks, high call volumes at the call centers, delays in merging air-miles programs, and issues with recognizing frequent-flier numbers can be seen as accidental failures that were not deliberately introduced but occurred due to unforeseen circumstances [10669]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in the United Airlines case was temporary. It was a result of technical glitches during the combination of the United and Continental Airlines reservation systems after the merger. The issues included problems with airport check-in kiosks, high call volumes at call centers, delays in merging air-miles programs, and difficulties in recognizing frequent-flier numbers [10669]. The company was actively working to fine-tune the system, and the performance had improved by Sunday afternoon, indicating that the failure was not permanent but rather a temporary setback caused by specific circumstances during the system integration process. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the United Airlines case resulted in technical glitches causing delays and issues with airport check-in kiosks, leading to a crash in the system's performance [10669].
(b) omission: The software failure incident led to problems with the airport check-in kiosks, which omitted to perform their intended functions, causing customers to line up to see service agents instead of using the kiosks [10669].
(c) timing: The software failure incident caused delays in the check-in process due to issues with the kiosks, resulting in the system performing its intended functions but too late, impacting the on-time performance of flights [10669].
(d) value: The software failure incident also led to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, such as not recognizing frequent-flier numbers or updating air miles promptly, affecting the value provided to customers [10669].
(e) byzantine: The articles do not provide information indicating a byzantine behavior of the software failure incident.
(f) other: The software failure incident also caused high call volumes at the call centers, with hold times exceeding an hour, which could be considered as an additional behavior of the system failure incident [10669]. |