https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/18/southwest-airlines-departures-pause.html Skip Navigation logo * watchlive logo Markets * Pre-Markets * U.S. Markets * Currencies * Cryptocurrency * Futures & Commodities * Bonds * Funds & ETFs Business * Economy * Finance * Health & Science * Media * Real Estate * Energy * Climate * Transportation * Industrials * Retail * Wealth * Life * Small Business Investing * Personal Finance * Fintech * Financial Advisors * Options Action * ETF Street * Buffett Archive * Earnings * Trader Talk Tech * Cybersecurity * Enterprise * Internet * Media * Mobile * Social Media * CNBC Disruptor 50 * Tech Guide Politics * White House * Policy * Defense * Congress * Equity and Opportunity CNBC TV * Live TV * Live Audio * Business Day Shows * Entertainment Shows * Full Episodes * Latest Video * Top Video * CEO Interviews * CNBC Documentaries * CNBC Podcasts * CNBC World * Digital Originals * Live TV Schedule Watchlist Investing Club * Trust Portfolio * Analysis * Trade Alerts * Meeting Videos * Homestretch * Jim's Columns * Education PRO * Pro News * Pro Live * Subscribe * Sign In Menu * Make It * select + ALL SELECT + Credit Cards + Loans + Banking + Mortgages + Insurance + Credit Monitoring + Personal Finance + Small Business + Taxes + Help for Low Credit Scores + Investing + SELECT + All Credit Cards + Find the Credit Card for You + Best Credit Cards + Best Rewards Credit Cards + Best Travel Credit Cards + Best 0% APR Credit Cards + Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards + Best Cash Back Credit Cards + Best Credit Card Welcome Bonuses + Best Credit Cards to Build Credit + SELECT + All Loans + Find the Best Personal Loan for You + Best Personal Loans + Best Debt Consolidation Loans + Best Loans to Refinance Credit Card Debt + Best Loans with Fast Funding + Best Small Personal Loans + Best Large Personal Loans + Best Personal Loans to Apply Online + Best Student Loan Refinance + SELECT + All Banking + Find the Savings Account for You + Best High Yield Savings Accounts + Best Big Bank Savings Accounts + Best Big Bank Checking Accounts + Best No Fee Checking Accounts + No Overdraft Fee Checking Accounts + Best Checking Account Bonuses + Best Money Market Accounts + Best CDs + Best Credit Unions + SELECT + All Mortgages + Best Mortgages + Best Mortgages for Small Down Payment + Best Mortgages for No Down Payment + Best Mortgages with No Origination Fee + Best Mortgages for Average Credit Score + Adjustable Rate Mortgages + Affording a Mortgage + SELECT + All Insurance + Best Life Insurance + Best Homeowners Insurance + Best Renters Insurance + Best Car Insurance + Travel Insurance + SELECT + All Credit Monitoring + Best Credit Monitoring Services + Best Identity Theft Protection + How to Boost Your Credit Score + Credit Repair Services + SELECT + All Personal Finance + Best Budgeting Apps + Best Expense Tracker Apps + Best Money Transfer Apps + Best Resale Apps and Sites + Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Apps + Best Debt Relief + SELECT + All Small Business + Best Small Business Savings Accounts + Best Small Business Checking Accounts + Best Credit Cards for Small Business + Best Small Business Loans + Best Tax Software for Small Business + SELECT + All Taxes + Best Tax Software + Best Tax Software for Small Businesses + Tax Refunds + SELECT + All Help for Low Credit Scores + Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit + Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit + Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit + Personal Loans if You Don't Have Credit + Best Credit Cards for Building Credit + Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower + Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower + Best Mortgages for Bad Credit + Best Hardship Loans + How to Boost Your Credit Score + SELECT + All Investing + Best IRA Accounts + Best Roth IRA Accounts + Best Investing Apps + Best Free Stock Trading Platforms + Best Robo-Advisors + Index Funds + Mutual Funds + ETFs + Bonds * USA * INTL * watchlive Search quotes, news & videos Watchlist SIGN IN Create free account logo Markets Business Investing Tech Politics CNBC TV Watchlist Investing Club PRO Menu Airlines More than half of Southwest Airlines flights delayed after technology problem paused departures Published Tue, Apr 18 202310:43 AM EDTUpdated An Hour Ago thumbnail Leslie Josephs@lesliejosephs WATCH LIVE Key Points * Southwest Airlines briefly paused its departures on Tuesday after reporting technical problems. * More than 1,800 flights, or 44% of Southwest's schedule, were delayed, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. * Southwest had a meltdown over the year-end holidays, which drove thousands of flight cancellations and resulted in an $800 million pretax hit for the fourth quarter. In this article * LUV Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Passengers check in for Southwest Airlines flights at Chicago Midway International Airport on April 18, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images Southwest Airlines briefly paused its departures on Tuesday after reporting technical problems, delaying half of its planned flights. The Federal Aviation Administration said the ground stop had been lifted, but more than 2,100 flights were delayed as of 4 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. The delays accounted for more than half of U.S. flights on Tuesday. "Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost," Southwest said in a statement. "Southwest Teams worked quickly to minimize flight disruptions." Southwest shares fell 0.8% on Tuesday, while the broader market and other large airline stocks rose. Airlines or the FAA will occasionally pause departures, particularly at certain airports, to avoid bottlenecks for parking on the ground. Southwest had a meltdown over the year-end holidays, which drove thousands of flight cancellations and resulted in an $800 million pretax hit for the fourth quarter. The airline upgraded scheduling software that couldn't handle numerous changes to crew assignments during severe winter weather late last year. The issues Tuesday did not appear to be related to that software. The previous meltdown increased scrutiny on the airline's technology from Washington. "This is another demonstration that Southwest Airlines needs to upgrade their systems and stop the negative impacts to individual travelers," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, in a statement Tuesday. Southwest is scheduled to report first-quarter results on April 27 before the market opens. logo * Subscribe to CNBC PRO * Licensing & Reprints * CNBC Councils * Select Personal Finance * CNBC on Peacock * Join the CNBC Panel * Supply Chain Values * Select Shopping * Closed Captioning * Digital Products * News Releases * Internships * Corrections * About CNBC * Ad Choices * Site Map * Podcasts * Careers * Help * Contact * * * * * * * News Tips Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. Get In Touch Advertise With Us Please Contact Us CNBC Newsletters Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Sign Up Now Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Privacy Policy|Do Not Sell My Personal Information|CA Notice|Terms of Service (c) 2023 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBCUniversal Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. 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