United blames testing for computer failure -Human error caused operational nightmare
United blames testing for computer failure -Human error caused operational nightmare
By Robert Manor, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporter John Schmeltzer contributed to this report
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published June 22, 2007
Human error led to the failures Wednesday of both the main and backup flight-operation computer systems at United Airlines, the carrier's management said Thursday, which caused delays for thousands of passengers.
United also told its workers that the airline was returning to normal operations after Wednesday's problems, which left planes on the ground during the morning and frustrated passengers throughout the day.
"Our operations are virtually back to normal, with only a handful of delays remaining this morning," Chief Executive Glenn Tilton told employees in a recording Thursday.
United's flight-operations computer system, Unimatic, went down for two hours Wednesday during the morning rush hour that began at 8 a.m. That forced United jets to remain at gates or on the tarmac during the busiest part of the airline travel day during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
"It was human error during routine testing," United Chief Operating Officer Pete McDonald told airline employees on a recorded call. "An employee made a mistake and caused the failure of both Unimatic and our backup system."
McDonald did not identify the person responsible, and United officials did not return calls seeking information on how the mistake occurred.
The computer failure left hundreds of planes on the ground in Chicago, Washington, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Denver was hit especially hard.
United canceled nearly 70 flights Wednesday, according to the airline. Approximately several hundred flights were delayed.
The Unimatic system provides pilots with flight plans, updates on maintenance information and crew schedules, among other information. Planes can communicate and fly and land safely without the data provided by Unimatic but cannot take off.
Although Unimatic dates to at least 1988, United said the system is frequently upgraded.
"We have made significant investments in the Unimatic system, purchasing all new hardware to strengthen the stability of the system." McDonald told employees.
Industry experts said computer glitches are expected to occur from time to time because airlines are dependent on information technology to make reservations and operate aircraft.
"Today United. Last month, US Airways. [American Airlines] is always one bolt away from taking one now. That's why I say I don't [blame] UA for its computer error," Joe Brancatelli, a business travel adviser and editor of JoeSentMe.com, said in an e-mail Wednesday.
"Anyone's computer can go down," Michael Boyd, president of the Boyd Group, an Evergreen, Colo., aviation consulting company, said Wednesday.
"People don't realize that you can have all the redundancies in the world, but the gremlins will still find a way around it. We may be able to protect ourselves from terrorists, but we can't protect ourselves from computer problems."
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rmanor@tribune.com
By Robert Manor, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporter John Schmeltzer contributed to this report
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published June 22, 2007
Human error led to the failures Wednesday of both the main and backup flight-operation computer systems at United Airlines, the carrier's management said Thursday, which caused delays for thousands of passengers.
United also told its workers that the airline was returning to normal operations after Wednesday's problems, which left planes on the ground during the morning and frustrated passengers throughout the day.
"Our operations are virtually back to normal, with only a handful of delays remaining this morning," Chief Executive Glenn Tilton told employees in a recording Thursday.
United's flight-operations computer system, Unimatic, went down for two hours Wednesday during the morning rush hour that began at 8 a.m. That forced United jets to remain at gates or on the tarmac during the busiest part of the airline travel day during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
"It was human error during routine testing," United Chief Operating Officer Pete McDonald told airline employees on a recorded call. "An employee made a mistake and caused the failure of both Unimatic and our backup system."
McDonald did not identify the person responsible, and United officials did not return calls seeking information on how the mistake occurred.
The computer failure left hundreds of planes on the ground in Chicago, Washington, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere. Denver was hit especially hard.
United canceled nearly 70 flights Wednesday, according to the airline. Approximately several hundred flights were delayed.
The Unimatic system provides pilots with flight plans, updates on maintenance information and crew schedules, among other information. Planes can communicate and fly and land safely without the data provided by Unimatic but cannot take off.
Although Unimatic dates to at least 1988, United said the system is frequently upgraded.
"We have made significant investments in the Unimatic system, purchasing all new hardware to strengthen the stability of the system." McDonald told employees.
Industry experts said computer glitches are expected to occur from time to time because airlines are dependent on information technology to make reservations and operate aircraft.
"Today United. Last month, US Airways. [American Airlines] is always one bolt away from taking one now. That's why I say I don't [blame] UA for its computer error," Joe Brancatelli, a business travel adviser and editor of JoeSentMe.com, said in an e-mail Wednesday.
"Anyone's computer can go down," Michael Boyd, president of the Boyd Group, an Evergreen, Colo., aviation consulting company, said Wednesday.
"People don't realize that you can have all the redundancies in the world, but the gremlins will still find a way around it. We may be able to protect ourselves from terrorists, but we can't protect ourselves from computer problems."
-----------
rmanor@tribune.com
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 7:28 PM
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