President, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Cpt. Casey Murray says ‘there’s enough to blame’ for travel woes this summer.
Southwest customers across the country experienced a large number of delays Wednesday after a “brief technical issue” caused by a power outage, the airline told FOX Business.
“Southwest Airlines has resolved a brief technical issue resulting from a power outage at one of our data centers in the Dallas area this afternoon,” the company said in a statement shared with FOX Business.
“Although we were able to continue operations overall, some flights across the system were delayed while our teams addressed the outage and rebooted systems. We apologize to our customers and appreciate their patience as we work to get them to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.”
At one point Wednesday evening, 32% of Southwest flights were delayed, USA Today reported, citing FlightAware.
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Southwest Airlines faced a slew of delays on Wednesday. (Aaron B./Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images)
The situation comes less than two years after the airline’s infamous collapse in December 2022 when nearly 17,000 flights were canceled and two million passengers were stranded over the Christmas holidays.
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Amanda Gevorgyan searches for luggage in Southwest’s baggage claim area inside Terminal One at Los Angeles International Airport on December 27, 2022, after the airline canceled hundreds of flights. (Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The airline ended up paying passengers $600 million because of the disaster and was fined $140 million after a government investigation late last year.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said after issuing the fine: “Today’s action sets a new precedent and sends a clear message: If airlines fail their passengers, we will use the full extent of our authority to hold them accountable.”
“Passenger care is not just the right thing to do, it is required, and this punishment should put all airlines on alert to take every step possible to ensure a collapse like this never happens again.”
Travelers wait to check in at the Southwest Airlines counter at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco on December 27, 2022. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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The 2022 storm delays, marked by images of thousands of passengers stranded at airports and bags strewn everywhere, were caused in part by the company’s outdated computer systems.
The company promised to invest $1 billion to modernize and maintain its IT systems.
“The recent disruption will accelerate our plans to enhance our operations and technology as we continue to focus on adding capabilities to bring rapid improvements to you, our valued customers,” CEO Bob Jordan said in a memo to members last year.
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