| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
Southwest Airlines experienced a computer glitch causing delays and cancellations for the third day in a row [45887]. The airline's systems were back up on Thursday morning, but disruptions continued, with about 400 flights canceled and another 400 delayed [45887]. Southwest's Chief Operating Officer mentioned that the airline was conducting a "deep dive" to understand why their computer systems failed [45887].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no specific mention in the provided article about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident at Southwest Airlines was primarily due to issues related to the design phase. The incident was caused by a massive computer glitch that affected flights throughout the country, leading to delays, cancellations, and disruptions in the airline's operations. Southwest's chief operating officer mentioned that the airline was conducting a "deep dive" to understand why their computer systems failed, indicating a problem with the design or development of the system [45887].
(b) Additionally, the software failure incident at Southwest Airlines also had elements related to the operation phase. The disruptions caused by the computer glitch led to long lines of passengers at ticket counters and check-in lines at various airports, indicating operational challenges faced by the airline. The delays and cancellations persisted as the company dealt with the fallout of the glitch, impacting about 20% of Southwest's daily departures [45887]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles about Southwest Airlines' computer glitch can be categorized as within_system. The articles mention that the technical problem affected flights for the airline throughout the country, causing delays, cancellations, and disruptions to their app and website [45887]. Southwest Airlines' chief operating officer mentioned that the airline was conducting a "deep dive" to figure out why its computer systems failed, indicating an internal investigation into the system failure [45887]. Additionally, the airline acknowledged the disruption in service and mentioned that recovery would take some time, implying an internal recovery process [45887]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Southwest Airlines case was primarily due to non-human actions. The incident was caused by a massive computer glitch that affected the airline's flights nationwide, leading to delays, cancellations, and disruptions in their systems [45887]. The airline's chief operating officer mentioned that they were conducting a "deep dive" to understand why their computer systems failed, indicating that the failure was not directly caused by human actions [45887].
(b) However, human actions played a role in the aftermath of the software failure incident. Southwest Airlines issued apologies to their employees and customers who were inconvenienced by the disruptions caused by the computer glitch [45887]. The company also offered affected customers the option to rebook their travel at the original fare for no additional cost, demonstrating a human response to mitigate the impact of the software failure on customers [45887]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident in the Southwest Airlines case was primarily due to software issues rather than hardware problems. The articles mention that the disruptions were caused by a massive computer glitch that affected the airline's flights nationwide, leading to delays and cancellations [45887]. The airline's systems were back up after the glitch, but the disruptions continued, indicating a software-related issue.
(b) The software failure incident at Southwest Airlines was attributed to a massive computer glitch that impacted the airline's operations, leading to delays and cancellations across the country. Southwest's chief operating officer mentioned that the airline was conducting a "deep dive" to understand why its computer systems failed [45887]. This points to a software-related failure rather than a hardware issue. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident at Southwest Airlines was non-malicious. The incident was attributed to a massive computer glitch that caused delays and cancellations for multiple days. Southwest's chief operating officer mentioned that the airline was conducting a "deep dive" to understand why the computer systems failed [45887]. The company also issued apologies to customers and employees for the disruptions caused by the technical problem, indicating that the failure was not intentional but rather a result of system issues. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident at Southwest Airlines was primarily due to poor_decisions. The incident was caused by a massive computer glitch that affected flights nationwide, leading to delays and cancellations for passengers. Despite explanations and apologies, the disruptions continued for multiple days, impacting a significant portion of Southwest's daily departures [45887]. Southwest's Chief Operating Officer mentioned that the airline was conducting a "deep dive" to understand why their computer systems failed, indicating a need to investigate the root cause of the issue [45887]. Additionally, the recovery process was expected to take some time, highlighting the severity of the situation and the complexity of resolving the technical problem [45887]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles seems to be more related to accidental factors rather than development incompetence. The incident was described as a "massive computer glitch" that affected Southwest Airlines' operations, causing delays and cancellations for multiple days [45887]. The airline's chief operating officer mentioned that they were conducting a "deep dive" to understand why their computer systems failed [45887]. Additionally, the disruptions were widespread, affecting about 20% of Southwest's daily departures [45887].
(b) The software failure incident was accidental in nature, as it was referred to as a "technical problem" that appeared suddenly and affected flights throughout the country, causing delays and impacting the airline's app and website [45887]. The incident was not attributed to development incompetence but rather to an unexpected glitch that led to significant disruptions in Southwest Airlines' operations. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles about Southwest Airlines experiencing delays and cancellations due to a computer glitch can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident was temporary as the disruptions caused by the computer glitch persisted for a limited duration, specifically for three days in a row [45887]. The airline mentioned that they were working on resolving the issue and conducting a "deep dive" to understand why their computer systems failed [45887]. Additionally, the disruptions continued even after the systems were back up, indicating a temporary nature of the failure [45887]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash. Southwest Airlines experienced a computer glitch that caused delays and cancellations for multiple days, with the system failing to perform its intended functions [45887].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The system omitted to perform its intended functions, leading to delays and cancellations for Southwest Airlines flights [45887].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with the timing category as there is no indication that the system performed its intended functions too late or too early [45887].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a value failure. The system performed its intended functions incorrectly, resulting in disruptions for Southwest Airlines and its customers [45887].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with the byzantine category as there is no mention of inconsistent responses or interactions from the system [45887].
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is a widespread disruption in the airline's operations, leading to long lines, delays, cancellations, and inconvenience for passengers. The system failure impacted a significant portion of Southwest Airlines' daily departures, indicating a major operational issue [45887]. |