The Latest Breaking News from Southwest Airlines

Travel meltdowns at Southwest Airlines and the FAA have exposed how deeply we depend on outdated or unreliable computer systems. Yet as Io Dodds discovers, cancelled flights and ruined holidays are only the tip of the iceberg

Southwest Airlines faced another potential crisis just two weeks after its holiday meltdown as the FAA shut down all flights in the U.S. for nearly two hours last Wednesday.

Administration ‘has confidence’ in Transportation Secretary in wake of airline fallout

Thousands of flights delayed because of problem with system that alerts pilots about hazards or changes at airports

The U.S. aviation sector was struggling to return to normal on Wednesday after a nationwide ground stop imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over a computer issue that forced a 90-minute halt to all U.S. departing flights.

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Secretary Pete Buttigieg will require Southwest Airlines to give prompt refunds and reimburse extra expenses after its holiday cancellation meltdown, adding pressure from Washington to speed along a move the carrier is already making to placate customers.

Southwest Airlines has regained most of the value it lost on Wall Street when its operations cratered in late December and left hundreds of thousands of passengers without flights around Christmas.

Simon Calder loves the carrier that Herb Kelleher founded in Texas in 1971. But there are limits

Are you done with Southwest Airlines, after your Christmas and New Year’s travel was ruined by the airline?