The airlines would have us believe that
weather is the biggest factor in causing a delay. It’s the one thing that
neither they nor us can control.
As we have seen in the last 24 hours, you
can add something else to the list.
Technology.
A worldwide technological breakdown and outage
affected nearly every aspect of our lives. Some couldn’t access their banking
information, some people couldn’t pay for goods and services with their credit
cards, some couldn’t even have medical records transferred, among other things.
And even airlines and other forms of transportation
were affected. Thousands upon thousands of flights were delayed or canceled,
and at one point the airlines asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to
impose a ground stop.
To be clear, this isn’t an opinion piece
or a diatribe against whether or not we are too reliant on technology. We have
evolved with the times, just like airplanes themselves. We book reservations
online and we even print out our boarding passes at home.
But this is a teachable moment.
Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)
It Will Happen Again
It is yet another obstacle to overcome. Because
it will happen again.
It has happened before, although perhaps
not on such a widespread basis. Southwest Airlines immediately comes to mind
from Christmas 2022.
This will be an ongoing conversation, because we
simply cannot bring the aviation system to an abrupt halt and have thousands of
flights delayed or canceled. Travel is just as important a vital part of the
economy.
This is a question that will not go away.
Heck, it was just a few months ago that
American Airlines wanted to bring their entire booking system online. One
hundred percent reservations
online? Good thought, but maybe a little too ambitious.
If this incident
has taught us anything it’s that there needs to be a backup plan in place. What
that is, I have no idea. That’s why there are engineers and other developers making
far more money than a journalist makes.
All I know is we can’t have the aviation
industry brought to a standstill. Because it will happen again.
And next time, it might be sinister. This
is a house of cards. Right now is the time to be proactive and not reactive.
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