The skies have hardly been smooth for Southwest Airlines. A widespread internet outage crippled its dispatching and operations system on Thursday, grounding approximately 1,800 flights and stranding passengers—adding fresh turbulence to the airline's leadership shake-up and strategic overhaul.
Just as the carrier navigates a leadership transition, the outage left countless passengers stranded, adding another layer of complexity to an already challenging period for the airline. By mid-afternoon, Southwest confirmed that the dispatch system was back online and departures had resumed.
