Southwest Airlines Operations Returning to Normal After Weekend Computer Glitch

Southwest Airlines urged travelers with morning flights to use the carrier’s online check-in service and print out boarding passes before arriving at the airport Monday following a weekend nationwide computer failure that delayed hundreds of flights.

“We thank our employees for their tireless efforts to take care of our customers and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work toward a solution,” the airline said in a statement.

As of 8:10 a.m. ET, a Southwest representative told USA Today the computer glitch was fixed and operation should be returning to normal.

The airline also asked customers checking baggage to print bag tags at a self-service kiosk near the ticket counter and present identification to Southwest employees.

Customers was stuck in long lines Sunday as a nationwide computer failure prompted agents to issue handwritten tickets for departing flights.

The airline asked that all U.S. passengers arrive at least two hours ahead of their scheduled departures Monday.

The airline operates 3,600 scheduled flights per day. The airline blamed the delays on “technology issues, which are requiring us to process customers on their individual itineraries.”

The airline was continuing to use backup systems to check-in passengers who arrived at airports without printed or mobile boarding passes, according to a statement.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines.