Computer Outage Temporarily Grounds Southwest Planes at LAX, Nationwide

LOS ANGELES, CA — Southwest Airlines passengers at Los Angeles International Airport and other airfields across the Southland and nation were dealing with extensive delays Wednesday caused by a computer failures that prompted a temporary halt to all flights.

According to the airline, Southwest "began experiencing intermittent performance issues earlier this afternoon with multiple technology systems as a result of an outage."

As a result, the airline issued a "ground stop" for all flights that had not yet left the gate. Many passengers took to Twitter, complaining of extensive delays.

The ground stop was lifted around 1 p.m., but delays were expected to continue throughout the day as the airline worked to get flights back in the air.

"We apologize to our customers whose travel plans are impacted," according to the airline. "We expect to continue our move toward a normal operation but believe it will take time."

— City News Service, photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines