Looming bankruptcy, insolvency, SARS, 40,000 layoffs, and the largest blackout in North American history would cripple any transportation company but Air Canada took another major blow this week in the form of a nasty virus. Christened “White Hat”, the computer virus corrupted the airline’s reservation system at airports and call centers which caused more headaches for the beleaguered airline. The virus did not affect flight operations but Air Canada was once again compelled to caution passengers of massive delays and cancellations.
Last week, the airline was forced to scratch more than 700 flights due to the crippling power outage in Ontario and the U.S. Northeast. The extensive employee lay-offs left airport counters severely understaffed and passengers were reeling with the notion of being stranded. Lineups at the check-in counter snaked airport perimeters yet Air Canada, blaming it’s bleak finances, would not recall staff.
In the past week, four different Internet worms affected computers worldwide sending anti-virus vendors into a tizzy.
