Meltdown at Jetblue
Meltdown at Jet Blue
Meltdown at Jet Blue
Management Issues that caused the Jet Blue problem
Management made the first mistake by looking at the problem too simply, and not thinking about the end result fully. When I say this, I am talking about the planes and the weather, but it could also apply to the IT solutions that Jet Blue had implemented prior. The planes should have been left in the terminal until the weather cleared, instead of loaded with passengers and try to make the flight out on time when the weather was so bad. Management looked so blindly at the goal of achieving on time flights, that it ignored the reality that on time flights could not happen in this weather. (Rainer, R. K., Jr., & Turban, E. (2009)).
Technical issues that caused Jet Blues problems
The main technical issues that caused the Jet Blue problem were that the system was designed with limitations and incompatibility with the rest of the Jet Blue system. All the different systems did not communicate with one another. By not matching the number of terminals to the ticket agent capacity, the system was instantly overwhelmed when the extra call volume was needed. Once Jet Blue was able to get jets back in the air, other systems failed as well. Traffic Simulation Planning was unable to put flight plans into the system because it was a standalone system. Rainer, R. K., Jr., & Turban, E. (2009)
What would I have done differently?
First, I would plan for the worst case scenario. My team of executives would be drilled to test the system, find the limitations, and then assign a team to deal with them. It is too late when the event is happening to plan for the scenario. I think as follow-up to the crisis, the plans were executed very well. I also would not plan to take a flight out on the runway when the weather is so bad. I would do almost anything to prevent them from being stranded on the tarmac. It is my opinion that I would make drastic IT changes, starting
Meltdown at Jet Blue
Management Issues that caused the Jet Blue problem
Management made the first mistake by looking at the problem too simply, and not thinking about the end result fully. When I say this, I am talking about the planes and the weather, but it could also apply to the IT solutions that Jet Blue had implemented prior. The planes should have been left in the terminal until the weather cleared, instead of loaded with passengers and try to make the flight out on time when the weather was so bad. Management looked so blindly at the goal of achieving on time flights, that it ignored the reality that on time flights could not happen in this weather. (Rainer, R. K., Jr., & Turban, E. (2009)).
Technical issues that caused Jet Blues problems
The main technical issues that caused the Jet Blue problem were that the system was designed with limitations and incompatibility with the rest of the Jet Blue system. All the different systems did not communicate with one another. By not matching the number of terminals to the ticket agent capacity, the system was instantly overwhelmed when the extra call volume was needed. Once Jet Blue was able to get jets back in the air, other systems failed as well. Traffic Simulation Planning was unable to put flight plans into the system because it was a standalone system. Rainer, R. K., Jr., & Turban, E. (2009)
What would I have done differently?
First, I would plan for the worst case scenario. My team of executives would be drilled to test the system, find the limitations, and then assign a team to deal with them. It is too late when the event is happening to plan for the scenario. I think as follow-up to the crisis, the plans were executed very well. I also would not plan to take a flight out on the runway when the weather is so bad. I would do almost anything to prevent them from being stranded on the tarmac. It is my opinion that I would make drastic IT changes, starting
References: Rainer, R. K., Jr., & Turban, E. (2009). Introduction to information systems: Supporting and transforming business (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.