United Airlines beefing up IT after system glitches
Following two major systems failures in as many months, United Airlines says it will be much better prepared when the next IT glitch strikes.
United has invested heavily in more robust backup in the wake of two major outages since early June which grounded flights.
"We know areas where we can beef up backups," CEO Jeff Smisek said on a call with investors.
Technology is United’s second biggest expense after fleet improvements, Smisek said.
The airline will also spend heavily to keep its planes safely in the air.
United’s tech woes began on June 2 when flight plan software went down and a computer router problem grounded hundreds of flights earlier this month.
"Airlines’ investment in technology is only going to continue to improve the customer experience," said trade association Airlines for America.
"When there is a rare disruption, it is often those investments that enable airlines to quickly restore service."
However experts still fear airlines are over-reliant on interconnected systems.
"Airlines are flying computers," said industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.
"Increased reliance on technology has enabled airlines to become a much more successful and efficient business, and that also creates an exposure."
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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