Southwest Airlines experienced countless flight delays after a massive power outage on Wednesday afternoon.
Due to severe weather across the central and eastern U.S., the airline delayed numerous flights. In fact, 36% of Southwest flights were canceled yesterday.
According to an email statement to USA TODAY by Southwest Airlines, the airline “resolved a brief technology issue that was caused by a power outage at one of our data centers in the Dallas area this afternoon.”
“While we were able to continue overall operations, some flights across the system were delayed. While our teams addressed the outage and restarted systems,” the statement continued.
“We apologize to our customers. And appreciate their patience as we work to get them to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.”
Southwest Airlines Experiences Numerous Flight Delays, Sparking Talk About Airline’s Ongoing Tech Issues
According to USA TODAY, “Southwest’s technology has been under a microscope for years because of a previous meltdown.”
In fact, “Over the winter holidays in 2022-2023, weather delays and backend technology issues conspired to cause a true meltdown for the airline,” the outlet reported. “During a 10-day period in December 2022, the airline canceled nearly 17,000 flights. Stranding passengers and baggage all around the country.”
Apparently, the airline then planned to upgrade its technology to prevent further issues.
“Shocker! Doesn’t this happen every year with them and they say they are going to upgrade the technology every time and don’t?” one person asked on X.
“Wasn’t it Southwest that had the same problem a year or two ago?” another wrote. “I remember them saying they would invest in a whole new system so it never happened again. 🤔🤷🏻♂️”
“The problem a few years ago is vastly different than the power outage that hit their data center that caused this issue today, per news posts,” someone responded. “But, they have made vast improvements in technology there.”