Startups Want to Help Airlines Prevent Tech Meltdowns

The meltdowns at Southwest and the FAA, just weeks apart, were because of weaknesses in systems scheduled for upgrades--underscoring the urgent need to give priority to efforts to modernize those systems, as well as the consequences of waiting to do so, the consultants said. While starting over wholesale with new information-technology infrastructure is likely unrealistic, consultants said, the sector should take advantage of cloud-based tools that can integrate the fire hose of real-time data driving airline operations. Newer, cloud-based infrastructure and databases can scale horizontally--meaning they can take advantage of distributed computing resources across the internet as needed. This design allows information to flow more freely, reducing the likelihood of glitches that cascade into systemwide shutdowns. Older, legacy systems are limited to the amount of computing power available.