Southwest Airlines has suffered yet another technological failure as it was forced to ground its planes due to “intermittent technology issues”. These issues arose mid-morning on Tuesday Eastern Standard Time. Customers were left angry and frustrated due to delayed and cancelled flights. In response, Southwest Airlines released a statement confirming a third-party firewall had gone down and disconnected the airline’s operational data. The airline has implemented various measures to resume operations as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Southwest Airlines is an American airline based in Dallas, Texas. It is the world’s largest low-cost airline, the majority of its passengers are domestic passengers. The company operates a large number of flights in the United States and operates to destinations around the world. The company has faced issues with its technology in the past, especially during the festive season of 2019 which caused havoc for customers trying to fly in the cold winter months. This resulted in the Federal Aviation Authority intervening, as Southwest requested a pause on all of its departures.
The issue has been a costly one for Southwest Airlines, with some reports estimating the flight cancellations and delays could have cost the company a total of $800 million. This has led to several disgruntled customers suing the airline for not adequately processing refunds for cancelled flights. In response, Southwest Airlines has attempted to repair its reputation and reassure customers of its commitment to addressing the issues.
