By DAVID KOENIG | AP Airlines Writer
DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines planes were grounded across the country for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, causing more than 1,700 flight delays Tuesday, just four months after the airline collapsed due to the Christmas travel rush.
The suspension of departures was lifted late this morning, shortly after it was announced, according to Southwest and the Federal Aviation Administration, but not before traffic built up at airports from Denver to New York City. .
“Southwest resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to address data connection issues that resulted from a firewall failure,” the Dallas carrier said in a prepared statement. “Early this morning, a vendor-provided firewall went down and the connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost.”
The airline urged customers to check their flight status “and explore self-service options” for travel while they work to restore operations.
As of late morning on the East Coast, Southwest accounted for more than half of all delays nationwide, but the airline had canceled fewer than a dozen flights, according to FlightAware.
Tuesday’s flight freeze was brief, but it added to the image of an airline that has had more trouble than most with technology problems. CEO Robert Jordan has embarked on a campaign to repair the airline’s damaged reputation.
In December, Southwest canceled nearly 17,000 flights over the Christmas holidays due to bad weather and an overflow of its crew scheduling system. Those cancellations cost the airline more than $1 billion. The Department of Transportation is investigating the breakdown.
The airline’s unions have said they warned management about problems with the crew scheduling system after a previous collapse in October 2021.
Southwest said last month it would add de-icing equipment and increase staffing during winter weather that is cold enough to limit the amount of time ground workers can stay outside.
Original story in english language:
Southwest passengers face delays after nationwide grounding ends
