UJ
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Numerous Southwest Airlines flights faced delays due to technical complications that caused the airline to momentarily stop its operations on Tuesday morning.
The airline explained that these flight delays were attributed to “data connection problems stemming from a firewall malfunction,” which necessitated a short ground stop.
The Federal Aviation Administration initiated the ground stop at the request of the airline, citing “equipment problems.” This ground halt was lifted shortly thereafter, and in a tweet at 11:35 a.m. ET, Southwest announced that it had resumed its operations.
“This morning, a firewall provided by our vendor failed, severing our connection to critical operational data,” stated spokesman Dan Landson in an announcement.
As of shortly after noon on Tuesday, Southwest had delayed 1,820 flights, accounting for 43% of its schedule, according to FlightAware. The airline only canceled nine flights that day, according to the same source. Southwest emphasized that its teams “worked swiftly to minimize disruptions.”
The airline reported technical difficulties on Tuesday morning and expressed hopes to “resume operations as soon as possible.”
The FAA stated to UJ that Southwest “requested a pause in the airline’s departures.”
This incident follows a crisis in December when the airline had to cancel over 16,700 flights between December 20 and 29, which was nearly half of its scheduled flights during that interval. The airline cited changes to its staffing scheduling computer systems as a significant factor in this crisis. Last month, Southwest introduced an “action plan” aimed at averting future operational breakdowns.
The airline referred to the current issue as “intermittent technology malfunctions” in a social media message to customers. Many customers expressed their frustrations about the flight delays online.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused and are working to get everyone on their way as soon as possible,” the airline communicated in another social media post.
A significant winter storm initiated the service disruptions during the holiday season, but Southwest encountered more severe challenges in recovering due to an outdated crew scheduling system that became rapidly overwhelmed, hindering the airline’s ability to staff flights appropriately. Nearly half of its schedule was canceled during the period from December 20 to December 29, with certain days witnessing up to 75% of its flights grounded.
A major factor that exacerbated the issues faced by Southwest compared to other airlines was the requirement for crew members to notify the airline via phone calls instead of electronically regarding their availability.
