'Completely Unacceptable': Southwest Delays Thousands of Flights Due to 'Technological Issue' The airline infamously canceled over 70% of its flights during the holiday season in 2022.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

After the 2022 holiday season, when Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 70% of flights due to inclement weather and left customers stranded (and many without their luggage for weeks), CEO Bob Jordan said it will "never happen again." The fiasco cost the company an estimated $1 billion and dampened its reputation with loyal customers.

This week, however, Southwest Airlines faced another problem.

On Wednesday, computer outages and a software malfunction caused more than a thousand Southwest Airlines flights to be delayed. Customers also reported being unable to check in for their flights on the airline's mobile app.

Related: 'It Will Never Happen Again': Southwest Airlines CEO Says Last Christmas' Disaster Is in the Past

"Southwest Airlines has resolved a brief technology issue that was caused by a power outage at one of our data centers in the Dallas area this afternoon," the company explained in a statement. "We apologize to our customers and appreciate their patience as we work to get them to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible."

According to FlightAware, Southwest delayed a total of 1,515 flights Wednesday — 192 flights are still delayed as of Thursday morning.

Some customers reported delay times of up to 10 hours before boarding, plus additional delays on the tarmac.

"Without a doubt, delays are frustrating for everyone involved, especially our Customers," Southwest told customers in response to complaints on X. "We apologize for the inconvenience."

Last month, Jordan hinted that the airline might be changing its infamous boarding process — the airline does not allow assigned seats before boarding begins — and other changes aimed at cutting costs amid ongoing trouble with Boeing that's resulted in Southwest receiving less than half of the 737 Max 8 aircraft it had anticipated this year.

Related: Southwest Airlines makes big operational changes after 2024 financial report

Southwest had a strong Q1 2024, bringing in $6.3 billion in operating revenue which was a 10.9% increase year over year.

Southwest Airlines was down around 13% year over year as of Thursday morning.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at BIZ Experiences.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

Business News

Here Are the 10 Jobs AI Is Most Likely to Automate, According to a Microsoft Study

These careers are most likely to be affected by generative AI, based on data from 200,000 conversations with Microsoft's Copilot chatbot.