Southwest Airlines mass cancellations partly caused by outdated software
Christopher Hutton
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The mass wave of flights canceled by Southwest Airlines was partially caused by outdated scheduling software, according to company officials.
The Texas-based airline canceled most of its flights over the holiday weekend. While the airline leadership blamed the large winter storm for the majority of delays, the company’s inability to update its software also muddled flight efforts.
“We have had issues with our scheduling tools, causing a scheduling issue,” Southwest told Business Insider.
While the winter storm was a “catalyst” for the mass disruptions, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Vice President Mike Santoro told Insider the company’s “outdated” scheduling software complicated the problem. The software is intended to track a pilot and flight attendant’s whereabouts, but it became overwhelmed and could not keep up with demand.
“When we get out of position, it’s a tough task for our schedulers to put it back together, and right now, they’re having to do it by hand,” Santoro said. “The problem is the software just doesn’t keep track of us.”
Southwest’s flight attendant union echoed Santoro’s remarks. While the storm was the spark of trouble, it was embellished by “outdated technology,” Lyn Montgomery, president of Southwest flight attendant union TWU Local 566, told KHOU.
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Southwest has struggled to keep up with the flying needs of the weekend. The company canceled more than 70% of its flights on Monday and 60% on Tuesday.
The airline has earned the ire of lawmakers in the process. Southwest will be “held accountable,” President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. The Department of Transportation also called out Southwest for its failures.