Southwest's Meltdown Should Be a Technology Warning for Airlines

25.08.2023 - 14:25 / skift.com / Justin Dawes / Bob Jordan

Southwest Airlines capped off its 2022 with the unenviable distinction of cancelling more than 15,000 flights in total during the week of Christmas, the result of a system failure caused by several issues that were exacerbated by a nationwide winter storm.

It was an unmitigated disaster for the Dallas-based airline, with the story leading news sites and network TV news broadcasts day after day, a public relations disaster that showcased its deficiencies in keeping its technology up to date.

As the debacle was being scrutinized heavily in the media each step of the way, the airline’s CEO, Bob Jordan, made several statements and appearances in an attempt to get ahead of the unfolding crisis and improve public perception.

Meanwhile, the issues that other airlines faced during the storm were quickly remedied, no system shutdown needed. 

The primary reason for the major issue at Southwest was its outdated optimization technology, which the airline has outgrown over the past couple of decades. Company executives have admitted to prioritizing other things over investing in technology for operations, despite warnings from staff and some close calls previously. Paired with a staff shortage, the issue became too much for Southwest’s system to handle.

“This one clearly pushed it over the cliff,” said Robert Mann, airline industry veteran and president of aviation consultancy R.W. Mann & Co. “While they’re working this problem out, they’ve got to be absolutely certain that this never happens again.”

But whether this can happen again is a legitimate question for the entire airline industry.

Being behind technologically is a common criticism experts make of the aviation industry. Will it result in other meltdowns similar to Southwest’s?

The airline’s disaster over the holidays should serve as a reminder for other carriers to take stock of their operations to ensure nothing like this happens again, and when it comes to looking where to cut costs, leave the technology alone.

Now the question is what Southwest will do next. 

What went wrong with the technology?

There is always a backlog of updates that need to happen in the airline industry, but they get pushed aside in a system where safety and regulatory issues are paramount 

It appears that was the case for Southwest — to the extreme. 

Unions said they had been warning Southwest of tech inadequacies for years and that the problem could have been avoided if the company would have invested in its own operations. Southwest had invested in some new technology, mostly customer-facing applications like self-service capabilities, as outlined in a public filing in early 2022. The filing also said the company had deferred a “significant number of technology projects”