Southwest Airlines passengers were met with unexpected headaches after arriving at the airport on Friday morning after a computer issue prompted the low-cost carrier to issue a nationwide ground stop.
According to airlines-issues-nationwide-ground-stop-following-computer-issue” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>Fox News, passengers began complaining of delays as early as 5:30 a.m. ET.
“We’re truly sorry for the delays this morning. Our Network Operations Control Team is aware of the issue and are working diligently to get you on your way as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience while we work through this,” the airline said in a response to one customer on Twitter.
We’re truly sorry for the delays this morning. Our Network Operations Control Team is aware of the issue and are working diligently to get you on your way as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience while we work through this. -Rocky
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) February 22, 2019
We’re looking to have you on your way shortly, and have begun boarding flights across the nation. It shouldn’t be much longer now, but I would check with your Gate Agents for more information. -Rocky
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) February 22, 2019
Southwest confirmed that the issue was resolved a little after 6:30 a.m. ET, telling Fox News that “airport technology systems are performing normally and flights are boarding and departing.”
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, more than 500 Southwest flights have been delayed Friday, which amounts to 13 percent of the airline‘s total schedule. Another 70 flights have been canceled as of 9 a.m. ET.
Friday’s brief ground stop is the latest hiccup in what’s been a month to forget for Southwest. The airline has already had to airlines/southwest-cancels-over-400-flights.html?utm_content=85470019&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-181507858187″ target=”_self” rel=”nofollow”>cancel some flights due to maintenance issues and recently declared an “operational emergency” due to an increase in out-of-service aircraft.
