Southwest Airlines experienced flight delays due to ‘tech issues’, resulting in a brief ground stop initiated by the FAA. As of Tuesday, 1,820 flights or 43% of Southwest’s schedule had been delayed, with only nine flights canceled.
Southwest Airlines Flight Delays and Cancellations
Overview
Causes of the Delay
The airline reported “data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” which led to a brief ground stop. The Federal Aviation Administration initiated the ground stop at the airline’s request, citing “equipment issues.”
Impact on Flights
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As of just after noon Tuesday, Southwest had delayed 1,820 flights or 43% of its schedule.
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Only nine flights were canceled on Tuesday.
Statement from Southwest Airlines
Southwest said they would “hopefully be resuming our operation as soon as possible.” Spokesman Dan Landson stated that an unexpected loss of connection to some operational data resulted from a vendor-supplied firewall going down.
Previous Issues with Southwest Airlines
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In December 2022, the airline canceled more than 16,700 flights between December 20 and 29, roughly half its schedule during that period.
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The meltdown was attributed in part to changes to its staff scheduling computer systems.
Causes of the Delays
The flight delays were caused by “data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” according to Southwest. This problem led to a brief ground stop, which was initiated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the airline’s request.
As of just after noon Tuesday, 1,820 flights or 43% of Southwest’s schedule had been delayed, according to FlightAware. The airline had canceled only nine flights on Tuesday, according to FlightAware.
Southwest’s Response
Southwest said its workers “worked quickly to minimize disruptions.” In a statement, spokesman Dan Landson said that an unexpected loss of connection to some operational data resulted from a vendor-supplied firewall going down.
Previous Issues with Southwest
This is not the first time Southwest has experienced issues with its technology. The airline was forced to cancel more than 16,700 flights between December 20 and 29, roughly half its schedule during that period. The problems were attributed in part to changes to its staff scheduling computer systems.
