The Blue Screen of Death Seen Around the World - What Happened? Part 2 of 2

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Nearly two weeks ago, a Crowdstrike Falcon software update disrupted the operations of many organizations worldwide.

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As part 1 ?of this article mentioned, the disruption started with the “blue screen of death , " sending individuals and industries?into survival mode. Perhaps the most publicized operational disruption happened in the airline industry. ?

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Delta Airlines especially struggled to resume normal operations following this glitch, leading to the cancellation of over 2,500 flights. Many of their customers found themselves stranded, sleeping on the floors of airports, many without their luggage containing important items like medicine, toiletries, and clothing.

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The situation was so dire, it triggered an investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation .

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As our dependence on digital technologies increases, when malfunctions, glitches, and cyberattacks occur, it begs the question,

What did airlines do before computer technology?

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In part 2 of this article, we’ll take a closer look at switching from digital to analog operations using two examples.

Example #1: Airlines ?

I’m old enough to remember the days when customers received paper tickets containing flight information and had to rely on travel agents exclusively for international flights.

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However, there was still some level of computer technology involved in the airline industry back in the 80s and 90s. I was curious about how flights were booked pre-computer. So I searched Quora. Below is an excerpt from Douglas Coleman describing the manual process for making flight reservations. You can view his full answer here .

After reading this, it’s clear the advantages offered by computer technology – online reservation bookings, apps for checking flight statuses, and text notifications regarding baggage locations make the overall flight experience more streamlined, and tolerable.

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But when one or more of the systems supporting that technology fails, it can send airline operations into a tailspin. Is there a way to switch to analog operations that isn’t as extreme as what Coleman described back in the 60s and 70s?

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In 2017, I had a connection in Guyana while traveling to another country. Although it was a connecting flight with the same airline and flight crew, we passengers had to exit the plane, claim our baggage, enter security again, and then wait to board the same plane we had just gotten off of.

But it was the way we reboarded that really grabbed my attention. As a passenger, I received a paper ticket and waited until my row was called where I then showed my passport to an airline employee. That person had a physical clipboard to check my name on a list of passengers allowed to reboard the plane! My luggage was manually searched before being placed on the plane.

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If airlines switched to fully manual or analog operations during this recent software glitch it would have been an efficiency nightmare. However, I can’t help but wonder if customers impacted by this would have been more forgiving of exceptionally long lines and wait times if they knew that operations were not halted, but a temporary changeover was in effect.

Example #2: Museums ??

A temporary changeover is exactly what the Houston Museum of Natural Science did as a result of the Crowdstrike software glitch.

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When I recently visited there with my nephew, a museum employee greeted us at the front door to warn me to expect an unusually long admission line. The long lines resulted from their switch to manual payments and ticket distribution.

I didn’t pay for the tickets with cash, so that meant that the employee who accepted payment did so by manually writing down my full name, credit card number, expiration date, and three-digit code.

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Though this switch from digital to analog operations was an inconvenience to everyone involved, there were several things this museum did right:

1. They ensured an employee greeted customers upon arrival to explain the situation rather than have signs posted on the front door.
2. Their employees were trained in the process of accepting payments manually.
3. They had the paper forms ready to deploy. This enabled them to accept credit cards, checks, and cash and issue paper receipts.
4. The employees who accepted payments had positive attitudes and apologized to each customer for any inconvenience caused.

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Knowing the situation, I was about to encounter regarding payment for museum admission, as a customer I found myself much more forgiving and understanding than I likely would have been had no explanation been given for the long wait time.

Can Your Company’s Operations Quickly Make the Switch from Digital to Analog? ??

One of the tenets of Lean Six Sigma is quick changeover . Though it’s a manufacturing concept, I often challenge my clients and students who work in service-based organizations to apply this concept of being able to quickly change or switch one or several parts of a process to reduce operational downtime.

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Are there parts of your operations that you can quickly changeover if a certain equipment, software, or person is unable to perform?

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The two examples cited come from very different industries and the argument can be made that the scale of an airline’s passengers is not the same as a museum. Yet, the museum example shows the power of documented processes, analog tools on standby, and customer service and support in mitigating an operational crisis.

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As of July 25, 2024, Delta Airlines reported resuming normal operations . With their hub being in Atlanta, GA this was of particular relief to me because I worried I would not be able to fly home as originally scheduled or would be a victim of lost luggage or both.

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Thankfully that did not happen and when I flew back to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport (the source of the sea of lost luggage in the above picture) on July 27, the amount of lost luggage dwindled significantly in size as shown in the picture I took below.

This, of course, is no consolation to the thousands of customers who did find themselves stranded and have not yet claimed their lost luggage. It should be noted that Delta is working to correct this by doing things like flying planes with over 1,000 bags and no passengers and offering mileage credits to their customers .

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This, of course, is no consolation to the thousands of customers who did find themselves stranded and have not yet claimed their lost luggage. It should be noted that Delta is working to correct this by doing things like flying planes with over 1,000 bags and no passengers and offering mileage credits to their customers .

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A crisis can’t always be avoided or averted, but there are contingency plans that can soften the operational and financial blows when do happen. These recent events are yet again reminders of the importance of disaster recovery and business continuity plans. Plans that should also include analog operations!

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About the Author

Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc. – an operations management firm specializing in increasing enterprise value for fast-growing small businesses. She’s a software inventor, a two-time Amazon bestselling author, and producer of a top 2% podcast .

Alicia also serves on the boards of three education-focused organizations and is an adjunct instructor of Lean Principles at Purdue University . She serves as the USA Chair of the G100’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. The Process Excellence Network recognized her as a Top 50 Thought Leader in Operational Excellence. A chemical engineer turned entrepreneur, she’s designed and optimized processes for small businesses, large enterprises, non-profits, and government organizations alike.