Internet outage: Southwest Airlines temporarily pauses departing flights causing delays - have operations resumed?

Southwest Airlines experienced system issues due to an internet outage which caused the airline to temporarily pause departing flights on Thursday, according to the airlines spokesperson. The airline’s dispatching and operations system was impacted by the outage.

Some passengers had already boarded their plane when the internet went out and all departures were halted. The arrival and departures boards didn’t list flights as delayed, instead they listed both the original times and new times for departure and arrival. Some flights were delayed two or more hours.

As of 2 p.m., its system has been restored and departures are resuming. “We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees,” said Lynn Lunford, SWA spokesman.

However there may be a knock-on effect to future flights. The delays might have a ripple effect.

Nearly 40% of Southwest Airlines flights nationwide are delayed. Travellers are advised to enquire with the airline regarding the status of their flight.