(KTLA) – A widespread “technology issue” delayed many Southwest Airlines flights Wednesday afternoon.
The airline confirmed to Nexstar’s KTLA that the issue was caused by a power outage at one of its data centers near its headquarters in Dallas.
Officials for Southwest described the technology issue as “brief” and said the airline was able to continue with overall operations until the outage was corrected and its computer systems were restarted.
The flight tracking website FlightAware listed more than 1,200 Southwest flights as being delayed as of 7:55 p.m. Pacific Time. The website DownDetector.com, which tracks website and app outages, saw a spike in reports by users who were unable to access the airline’s website.
Travelers took to social media to voice their frustration regarding delays, and the airline’s official accounts were busy responding to several messages.
“We apologize to our Customers and appreciate their patience as we work to get them to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible,” a spokesperson said.
Computer issues have plagued Southwest in the past, most notably in December 2022, when millions of passengers were stranded in the midst of a busy holiday travel weekend.
As many as 16,900 flights were canceled in what some were calling the biggest meltdown in modern airline history. The cancellations were initially blamed on adverse weather but were later attributed, in part, to issues with the company’s computer technology.
Southwest ultimately agreed to pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement to resolve a federal investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation for violating consumer protection laws. The fine was 30 times larger than any other penalty ever issued by the DOT for consumer protection violations.
