UAL system-wide computer glitches causing delays

[Tetractys]

Stuck on tarmac at DTW due to computer outages this morning, reading on Google News that it's happening also in Denver. Seems to be affecting all UA flights, or so the captain says. Delay now over one hour, no wheels up time in the offing.

[SawMan]

But gosh, weren't computers supposed to make things faster, better, more reliable, and easier? At least that's what they all said when the "better" technology got foisted onto an unsuspecting public.

For anyone who still believes that lie, I have a bridge for sale really cheap, and for a small cash deposit I can arrange very generous financing terms

[ExXB]

At one time, when the airlines were guaranteed an adequate ROI by the CAB/DOT the airlines held the leading edge in computer systems.

Since deregulation airline's systems were sold to third parties who now provide little innovation and very high prices. They have an excellent ROI, the airlines not.

[PAXboy]

Any vote against outsourcing, gets my vote, ExXB.

I was interested to read the other day (BBC or The Independent, I cannot recall) that after 20 years of outsourcing, Govt has just twigged the fact they have lost the human memory. They have lost experience of what happens when things go wrong and what was done last time to fix it. funny, I could havetold them that 18 years ago.

[joy ride]

Paxboy, there is now a major row between the government and one of its major outsource companies, it's total chaos on both sides, how surprising!

[llondel]

If it's in-house then it's quite clear at all times which organisation is at fault and has to foot the bill to fix it. As soon as you pay an external entity to do the work then if something goes wrong there's a big argument over the contract wording in an effort to avoid paying the bill.

[PAXboy]

For me, the single over riding point is:

When something goes wrong - you need to be able to reach out and grab the responsible person warmly by the throat.

If they are an outsourcing company - you cannot do that. You cannot punish/demote/ etc. the person who made the mistake. The outsourcing staff know that and they do not answer to you, no matter what 'reporting lines' are put in place.

I recall in the late 1980s when I was working in The City. We (an American Merchant Bank) begged a certain well known telecomms company to give us a project manager who could actually do the job, rather than the twit they gave us. They replied, "Sorry, he's the best we've got". It may simply have been that their best was already tied down by another client but WE had no influence. That was the moment I realised outsourcing was not going to work and it was, either, 1989 or 1990.

So, when I saw the tories (enthusiastically followed by the Labour) using outsourcing - I knew it would not work. I suggest that it has not.