Okay, we have a little mystery.
Australian newspapers and other media reported late Monday and today that Qantas suffered a three hour check-in system meltdown at about 1700 AEDT on the 15th of November. A computer problem in the airline's Amadeus check-in system reportedly affected Qantas flights world-wide, forcing the airline to use manual check-in procedures for domestic and international passengers. Some flights were delayed as a result.
Okay, it happens.
However, in a couple of the stories, like this one in ZDnet Australia, "Along with Qantas, other global carriers which used Amadeus were also affected. Qantas was working with Amadeus to prevent a similar event occurring again, according to the spokesperson."
This article at new.com.au said that 485 airlines across the world including major airlines such as British Airways, Air France, South African Airways, Thai Airways, Lufthansa and United Airlines were all affected in the global check-in chaos.
However, I have not seen any other news articles on this supposed world-wide passenger check-in chaotic event, which I would expect if 485 airlines across the planet were affected. It would have made for a nice story if true.
So, was this just a local Qantas problem, or something more widespread that mysteriously didn't make the news?
Anyone know?
Robert N. Charette is a Contributing Editor to IEEE Spectrum and an acknowledged international authority on information technology and systems risk management. A self-described “risk ecologist,” he is interested in the intersections of business, political, technological, and societal risks. Charette is an award-winning author of multiple books and numerous articles on the subjects of risk management, project and program management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. A Life Senior Member of the IEEE, Charette was a recipient of the IEEE Computer Society’s Golden Core Award in 2008.
