Southwest Airlines faces nationwide IT outage, forcing manual check-ins and long airport lines
A widespread computer failure at Southwest Airlines' Amadeus system grounded flights and caused lengthy queues at several U.S. airports.
Southwest Airlines experienced a brief but extensive IT disruption after its vendor Amadeus suffered a system failure, halting core functions such as reservations, check-in and baggage handling. The problem emerged shortly after 8 a.m. ET and quickly spread to airports in California, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Denver, where travelers faced long lines and could not complete online check-ins. The airline reverted to manual bag verification and boarding until the technical issue eased around 8:50 a.m., though some passengers reported lingering delays for over an hour.
Social media users expressed frustration over being stranded and unable to pay for luggage. Southwest issued an apology, emphasizing passenger and employee safety as its top priority.
Why it matters
The outage halted a major U.S. carrier's operations, affecting thousands of travelers and highlighting vulnerabilities in airline IT infrastructure.
In this story
