The fourth-largest US airline, Southwest Airlines, was unaffected by a massive computer outage caused by a problematic CrowdStrike software update. The cause was the company’s use of the outdated Windows 3.1 operating system, which dates back to 1992. reports Tom’s Hardware.
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Southwest Airlines, unlike its competitors, was able to continue normal operations during the global IT outage that affected many companies around the world, including the largest U.S. carriers. Recall that the problem arose due to a botched update to CrowdStrike’s antivirus software, which caused the BSoD (blue screen of death) to appear on millions of computers.
Other major airlines, such as United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines, were forced to ground flights due to problems with flight management, maintenance, pilot scheduling, and ticketing systems. Southwest, which runs Windows 3.1, which has long been out of updates, simply couldn’t technically receive the problematic update. However, some Southwest passengers still experienced delays due to system outages at airports. The company insisted that the problems were minimal compared to the difficulties other carriers faced.
IT security experts say that while using legacy systems has helped Southwest in this situation, the company will still need to upgrade its infrastructure in the long term. Incidentally, Southwest also uses Windows 95 for its employee scheduling system, which has caused staff frustration.
Despite the criticism, the company has not yet announced plans to modernize its IT systems, as it continues to assess the situation and weigh the risks and benefits of using outdated technology in the modern aviation industry.
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