IT outsourcing prediction
Jan 18, 2016, 11:28 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: JAX
Programs: Ex-BA/AA/CP/LY staff, BA Executive Club Blue, IHG Diamond, Marriott Silver, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 3,600
But none of things you deservedly listed are actually under the remit of the IT directorate. Almost nothing you might consider as 'customer facing' is covered by IT - except perhaps the hardware.
Most of your list is ba.com, one Operations, one Avios. They're all system issues, yes - but not owned (or fixable) by IT as BA labels it.
The departments that do own the faults you list - they're not being outsourced, although they already probably do have outsourced consultants that they use when they want/need to. However, the outsourcing that is being proposed will have no effect on fixing your hot buttons.
Most of your list is ba.com, one Operations, one Avios. They're all system issues, yes - but not owned (or fixable) by IT as BA labels it.
The departments that do own the faults you list - they're not being outsourced, although they already probably do have outsourced consultants that they use when they want/need to. However, the outsourcing that is being proposed will have no effect on fixing your hot buttons.
Jan 18, 2016, 12:37 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
But none of things you deservedly listed are actually under the remit of the IT directorate. Almost nothing you might consider as 'customer facing' is covered by IT - except perhaps the hardware.
Most of your list is ba.com, one Operations, one Avios. They're all system issues, yes - but not owned (or fixable) by IT as BA labels it.
The departments that do own the faults you list - they're not being outsourced, although they already probably do have outsourced consultants that they use when they want/need to. However, the outsourcing that is being proposed will have no effect on fixing your hot buttons.
Jan 18, 2016, 12:48 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 812
Whatever BA call's its departments and who looks after what is of little relevance/interest to the customers who are forced to use the shoddy systems provided. 'IT' or not, its poor systems in the customer's eyes, and I for one will hope that any outsourcing could improve the customer experience. I will not hold my breath, of course.
There is a lot more to BAs operation than this stuff. If BA.COM is down or people can't claim avios of login to their exec club accounts, thats an issue. But think about all the critical operational systems - baggage, crew scheduling, catering, route planning, air worthiness certs, engineering and parts etc etc
Airline IT systems are complicated.
Jan 18, 2016, 12:48 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Hague, NL
Programs: GMLFL, Life 2.0 - Mucci Premiere Classe & des Chevaliers Toulousiens
Posts: 22,911
ba.com is nothing more than an interface between you and several back-office systems. Some of them (probably the ones you interact the most with) ancient and not developed or maintained by BA.
BA IT is more about the infrastructure: HR systems, ERP systems etc. Think more 'maintenance management', warehouse management, financial systems, etc. They will keep the management of ba.com in house, I would guess.
And this of course:
We typed at the same time. 
BA IT is more about the infrastructure: HR systems, ERP systems etc. Think more 'maintenance management', warehouse management, financial systems, etc. They will keep the management of ba.com in house, I would guess.
And this of course:
There is a lot more to BAs operation than this stuff. If BA.COM is down or people can't claim avios of login to their exec club accounts, thats an issue. But think about all the critical operational systems - baggage, crew scheduling, catering, air worthiness certs, engineering and parts.........
Jan 18, 2016, 2:54 pm
#20
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Seattle
Programs: BA GGL & LTG, EK Silver, HHonors Lifetime Diamond; Proudly Mucci Free - total nonsense
Posts: 862
Outsourcing rarely improves the quality of IT systems. What it does achieve, is a lower and generally more predictable cost of ownership for the customer of the outsourcer e.g. BA. That's why outsourcing is called 'your mess for less'. It's not a bad thing per se, but the outsourcer is often mismanaged by the customer leading to dissatisfaction on both sides.
Jan 18, 2016, 2:55 pm
#21
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Seattle
Programs: BA GGL & LTG, EK Silver, HHonors Lifetime Diamond; Proudly Mucci Free - total nonsense
Posts: 862
And as I was writing my reply, the other browser tab I had open to get into MMB on ba.com now says 'sorry our systems are not responding right now' 
Jan 18, 2016, 2:58 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
I agree with this 100% but........
There is a lot more to BAs operation than this stuff. If BA.COM is down or people can't claim avios of login to their exec club accounts, thats an issue. But think about all the critical operational systems - baggage, crew scheduling, catering, route planning, air worthiness certs, engineering and parts etc etc
Airline IT systems are complicated.
There is a lot more to BAs operation than this stuff. If BA.COM is down or people can't claim avios of login to their exec club accounts, thats an issue. But think about all the critical operational systems - baggage, crew scheduling, catering, route planning, air worthiness certs, engineering and parts etc etc
Airline IT systems are complicated.
ba.com is nothing more than an interface between you and several back-office systems. Some of them (probably the ones you interact the most with) ancient and not developed or maintained by BA.
BA IT is more about the infrastructure: HR systems, ERP systems etc. Think more 'maintenance management', warehouse management, financial systems, etc. They will keep the management of ba.com in house, I would guess.
BA IT is more about the infrastructure: HR systems, ERP systems etc. Think more 'maintenance management', warehouse management, financial systems, etc. They will keep the management of ba.com in house, I would guess.
But what normal customer gives a monkeys about all of the systems required to get an aircraft into the air (literally), when they have such difficulty processing a simple ticketing transaction on an airline's website?
Jan 18, 2016, 3:08 pm
#23
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,660
Absolutely - BA is full of frontends, backends and bookends.
But what normal customer gives a monkeys about all of the systems required to get an aircraft into the air (literally), when they have such difficulty processing a simple ticketing transaction on an airline's website?
But what normal customer gives a monkeys about all of the systems required to get an aircraft into the air (literally), when they have such difficulty processing a simple ticketing transaction on an airline's website?
I say this because as far as im aware for the majority of Oneworld carriers their reservation systems and back end part of MMB are all Amadeus based like BA.
The only exception i'm aware of is AA who use Sabre instead.
Jan 18, 2016, 3:31 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Of course, ba.com isn't perfect. And some individual airlines' websites do some individual things much better than ba.com does. But reading some of the constant whinges on here, you'd be forgiven for thinking that BA was offering the worst airline website in the world.
Jan 18, 2016, 3:35 pm
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Hague, NL
Programs: GMLFL, Life 2.0 - Mucci Premiere Classe & des Chevaliers Toulousiens
Posts: 22,911
Some outsourcing....
There is:
Your service, your way (your mess for less)
Your service, our way
Our service, our way
And many variations / degrees. As a side note, if your processes are well organised, outsourcing 'your service, your way' works great. Your mess for less only applies if your service is a mess already, after all.
What BA should not do / never have done is outsource development and CS to the same country as Infrastructure Management (lets say India). That never works but most companies do this because they think it is more cost effective or more logical. CS I would establish in PH.
There is:
Your service, your way (your mess for less)
Your service, our way
Our service, our way
And many variations / degrees. As a side note, if your processes are well organised, outsourcing 'your service, your way' works great. Your mess for less only applies if your service is a mess already, after all.
What BA should not do / never have done is outsource development and CS to the same country as Infrastructure Management (lets say India). That never works but most companies do this because they think it is more cost effective or more logical. CS I would establish in PH.
Jan 18, 2016, 4:04 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 812
Jan 18, 2016, 4:17 pm
#28
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: BA214
Programs: Gold Mega Legend
Posts: 392
This is all pointless speculation. Virgin Atlantic also outsourced a large chunk of their IT operation to TCS and I'm yet to hear of a complete systems meltdown on their end.
Jan 18, 2016, 4:34 pm
#29
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: Regarded as total and utter snob amongst the BAEC community.
Posts: 971
I am surprised it has taken BA this long to make this decision to outsource IT work and very common practice for large corporations. For western companies that do outsource this type of work to India its usually front line level 1/2 helpdesk support and software development.
As for using TCS as a supplier, here is a small list of clients they currently work for.
http://www.tcs.com/about/corp_facts/...s/default.aspx
I am wondering if BA or even IAG are doing a complete overhaul of their systems to allow better integration and management for all their carriers by adopting new technology solutions such as Cloud.
As for using TCS as a supplier, here is a small list of clients they currently work for.
http://www.tcs.com/about/corp_facts/...s/default.aspx
I am wondering if BA or even IAG are doing a complete overhaul of their systems to allow better integration and management for all their carriers by adopting new technology solutions such as Cloud.
Jan 18, 2016, 6:47 pm
#30
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,651
Actually, Virgin is in the process of migrating many customer facing and reservations components to utilize systems provided by Delta. Not all, but many.