CNN reports AA has a system wide stand down till 5PM EST

[SLFinAZ]

Guessing some type of security related alert after the Boston bombings?

American Airlines grounds flights until 5 p.m. - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/travel/american-airlines-delay/index.html)

[west lakes]

Earlier, the airline reported a problem with its reservation and booking tool, noting the network was experiencing "intermittent outages."

Or possibly that is the reason!

[ImbracableCrunk]

Intermittent outages is a funny security precaution.

[Wino]

No, nothing security related,

Just computer problems from the incredibly ancient computer system that runs AA... Infact the only older large scale computer system that I know of is the FAA's air traffic control computers...

Cheers
Wino

[TeaTowel]

Reservation system is offline

FAA Grounds American Airlines Flights After Its Computer Systems Fail (Updating) (http://gizmodo.com/5994808/faa-grounds-american-airlines-after-computer-systems-fail?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow)

[JPJP]

This should help Horton lobby for his 20 Million dollar payout. ::D

[TotalBeginner]

Why would it be necessary to ground an entire fleet due to a CRS or DCS failure?

[oceancrosser]

Manual check-in, manual loadsheet... probably a lost art.

[bubbers44]

That is how AA runs everything, if the computer doesn't work, nothing flies. When AA bought us, Aircal, it was quite frustrating but that is how they do things. I am on an open flight to LAX tomorrow to see my daughter before she goes into surgery but now it probably will fill up with flowover pax.

I flew a 727 charter flight at night to a resort I had never heard of on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic at AA. I asked dispatch everything I could think of about Nav Aids, Tower open, computers working and still everything was all screwed up. The vor was out, the vasi was set way too low and the computer didn't work and both my FE and FO were new on probation so couldn't help much. My charts were faxed to me because we don't land at that airport. I could see disaster about to happen. The only way I could get my clearance and close out numbers to take off was over the phone. I wrote down the trim setting, TO weight and route and altitude and ignored the rest. I hate computers!!!

[BOAC]

BA were similar in the 2000's - AOC would not allow manual PLOG workings. The day the lady cleaner hoovered the plug out at LHR we stopped flying at LGW. I asked for a still-air plog and met chart - no-can-do, Sir. To the coffee-bar!

[bubbers44]

Oh, and the ceiling was 800 ft even though the tower called it clear and had less than 2 minutes to set up an NDB approach when they said the VOR approach was inop. I was a reserve captain with less than 500 hrs in a 727 in any seat. Thank God for corporate flying and charter flying when that was normal. I had to ask them to verify we were cleared for the VOR approach when they said it was inop even though we were using it fine. Retirement is wonderful.

[bubbers44]

YUP, tomorrows flight overbooked so good luck daughter. See you when the computers get everything back to speed.

[400drvr]

Horton lobbying for the $20 million payday.
:rolleyes:

[bubbers44]

Daughter has surgery in two days but Dad will miss it with an open flight because the computers shut down and now you can't even buy a full fare ticket because of the overflow pax. I know I could buy a full fare ticket on another airline that isn't free. It isn't critical so coming after surgery is ok.

[ExSp33db1rd]

BA were similar in the 2000's - AOC would not allow manual PLOG workings. The day the lady cleaner hoovered the plug out at LHR we stopped flying at LGW. I asked for a still-air plog and met chart - no-can-do, Sir. To the coffee-bar!

Even the 1970's BBG (Before Bill Gates )

Returned to base unexpectedly as pax. from New York one day, we were told to collect our tickets at the airport check-in counter. Arriving there the girl said that we couldn't board because 'the printer' is down and she couldn't print our tickets - the Flt. Engineer quietly handed her his pen.

The girl then tried to charge the F/E for excess baggage, whereupon he opened his suitcase and deposited his uniform, including dirty shirts, Flt. Manual, small toolkit, engineers walk-around torch ( heavy,metal 4x D cell battery type ) and sundry items,and declared that he wasn't going to pay excess baggage for carrying company property, she could have it all and he would indent for new supplies when he got back to London.

Collapse of Stout Party.

Moral - never fly without a Flt. Eng.

[Ex Cargo Clown]

Has someone hacked Sabre or is it a DOS job? Why can't they dispatch them, used to do manual L/S and discuss PLOG fuel with the Capt on just common sense.

[BOAC]

and discuss PLOG fuel with the Capt on just common sense. - see post #10 - does the AOC allow?

[Hartington]

Reports elsewhere suggest that the problem is not with SABRE per-se. It seems it was the AA communications network that failed.

As far as I know none of the other SABRE users had similar issues.

[con-pilot]

Moral - never fly without a Flt. Eng.

If only, loved it when I had a PFE on the crew. :ok:

[daved123]

Not a pilot but with 24yrs airline experience.
Could the reason for the grounding be that in todays security environment AA would be unable to provide pax lists before flight departure ?

[Heathrow Harry]

doubt it would be DOS problem - SABRE is almost certainly UNIX (shudder....)

[pgarner528]

doubt it would be DOS problem - SABRE is almost certainly UNIX (shudder....)

In this instance, DOS is Denial Of Service.

[MarcK]

When SABRE first rolled out it was on IBM 7090s, I believe. Then went to System 360. I doubt any upgrades were to Unix.