Why Do Airlines Suffer So Many Tech Glitches?

On August 6 and 7, some of British Airways check-in systems at London airports crashed. The carrier canceled more than 100 flights, inconveniencing thousands of flyers. British Airways hasn't revealed the cause. "No additional information is available at this time," a spokesperson said this week. In July, U.K. regulators threatened to slap the carrier with a $220 million (£183 million) fine for inadequate data security. In 2017, hackers robbed British Airways data on more than 500,000 passengers. The airline will appeal the fine. But it continues to face a possible financial hit. Consider, too, that in May 2017, British Airways faced a power outage. Its failure to have an effective back-up plan downed many of its systems. The carrier canceled 726 flights, stranding tens of thousands of passengers. The hiccup cost about $100 million (£80 million), the airline said. British Airways isn't the only network carrier to suffer tech glitches that have led to many cancelations. Airlines and their tech providers have suffered outages once a month on average during the past three years, a U.S. government study found in June. What's the Bigger Problem? Why do airlines face so many IT problems? Skift asked many industry veterans for answers. The experts asked to speak anonymously because of the work they do for carriers and their tech providers. Troubles in intricate systems rarely have one cause. But some causes of airline IT failure are more likely than others, experts said. A common hot-take when an airline has an IT failure is this: Most airlines have outdated tech. But that isn't always true. British Airways, like more than 100 other carriers, uses a passenger service system from Amadeus to help take bookings on their websites, help its agents board passengers, and handle other operational tasks. The carrier overlays that system with some of its in-house tech. But the tech isn't particularly old. The core tech at EasyJet appears to be older despite the carrier being younger. In the early 2000s, the budget airline asked a vendor called BulletProof to build a system for it. But tech firm Navitaire sued the vend