Tech issues delay hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights
Southwest Airlines said hundreds of flights were delayed by technical issues Sunday that forced it to check in some customers manually at airports and causing long lines.
Southwest asked travelers to arrive at least two hours before their scheduled departures as the problems that began Sunday morning continued into the evening. It also asked customers to use airport kiosks to print boarding passes and tags for luggage.
Representatives for Southwest did not say what caused the problem or how long it would take to resolve. Spokesman Brad Hawkins said there was “absolutely no indication now” that the problems were the result of hack.
E. J. Schultz, a reporter for Ad Age who was taking a Southwest flight from Midway Airport, said the airline was telling people at the gate that travelers with paper boarding passes were fine. But those who had downloaded their tickets onto their mobile phones were told they had to stand in line, he said.
Schultz said he didn’t understand why Southwest didn’t announce that people should print out their boarding passes at home before getting to the airport.
“If everyone had done that, it would’ve saved so much time,” he said.
Schultz said there was a line of about 50 people at the Southwest gate. His flight took off roughly 15 minutes after its scheduled departure time of 4: 30.
The long lines at check- in may mean some passengers didn’t make their flights.
Emily Mitnick, who was flying to Detroit from Denver International Airport, said she missed her 10 a. m. flight even though she parked her car around 8 a. m. She estimated that about 1,000 people were on line at the check- in for a boarding pass. When she went downstairs to the curbside check- in, she said there were about a couple hundred people in line there as well.
By the time she got in line to go through security, it was around 10: 15 a. m.
“The clock was ticking and the flight took off,” said Mitnick, who was trying to get to Detroit through a different flight to Chicago.
In a statement, Southwest said it was still having “intermittent” technical issues on its website, mobile app and in its phone centers and airport check- in systems. It said that while it was working on the issues, workers at airports are helping customers with their itineraries.
At Los Angeles International Airport, several dozen people crowded the Southwest terminal waiting to be issued hand- written tickets. By late afternoon, Southwest said about 450 of the 3,600 flights scheduled for the day had been delayed.
Last month, American Airlines experienced computer problems that prevented passengers from checking in and briefly halted flights on select routes.
In July, hundreds of United Airlines flights were delayed after the airline experienced computer problems for the second time in just over a month.