On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines briefly grounded its flights nationwide due to technical errors, leading to delays and angry passengers. This incident brought back memories of the carrier's Christmas holiday meltdown.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson acknowledged the intermittent issues experienced by the airline and assured passengers of their quick resolution. However, some passengers complained of being stranded in planes while waiting for the computer systems to come back online.
The FAA allowed Southwest to resume flights a short while later, except for flights heading to Dallas Love Field Airport. As of Tuesday morning, the FlightAware flight tracking website indicated that around 30% of Southwest's schedule, comprising of 2,500 flights, were facing delays. The FAA confirmed that the airline had requested a pause in departures due to an internal technical issue.
Southwest apologized for any inconvenience caused and promised to provide assistance to affected customers.