Southwest stopped: see what RSW flights were delayed after Southwest Airline's ground stop

Samantha Neely, Fort Myers News-Press
Updated ·3 min read

Southwest Airlines briefly issued a nationwide ground stop Tuesday morning for an 'intermittent technology issue', with Southwest Florida among those affected by the thousands of delayed flights following the half-hour pause.

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the stop by 10 a.m. Tuesday and has since started resuming flights. As of now, there have been 1,728 flight delays, or 41% of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

This comes roughly four months after the carrier was forced to cancel more than 16,700 flights during the holiday season due to rough weather and its crew-scheduling system becoming overwhelmed.

Want more RSW news? Passenger count at RSW: Streak of year-over-year decreases hits 10 months

See which airline reigns supreme at RSW By the numbers: Which airlines carried the most passengers at RSW in 2022?

Southwest officials on social media released a statement following the halt:

"Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues. We offer our heartfelt apologies to Customers whose journey with us today might be delayed."

Here's what we know for those who were affected in Southwest Florida by the pause:

What RSW flights were delayed by the stop?

While there isn't a confirmed number of how many flights were delayed by the stop, charts online show that several Southwest flights at RSW saw delays ranging from 10 minutes to two hours. According to RSW's website, here are some of the flights that saw delays, contrasted by their new times:

Arrivals

  • Atlanta - 11:25 p.m. to 11:51 p.m.

  • Baltimore - 5:35 p.m. to 5:37 p.m.

  • Baltimore - 9:45 p.m. to 9:54 p.m.

  • Baltimore - 7:45 p.m. to 9:14 p.m.

  • Baltimore - 12:35 p.m. to 1:48 p.m.

  • Chicago O'Hare - 5:20 p.m. to 7:13 p.m.

  • Chicago (Midway) - 5 p.m. to 5:18 p.m.

  • Columbus - 1:05 p.m. to 1:24 p.m.

  • Pittsburg - 11:10 a.m. to 4:01 p.m.

  • Orlando - 8:40 p.m. to 9:37 p.m.

  • St. Louis - 11:40 a.m. to 1:19 p.m.

Departures

  • Baltimore - 8:30 p.m. to 9:59 p.m.

  • Baltimore - 12:25 p.m. to 1:54 p.m.

  • Chicago (Midway) - 9:25 p.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Chicago (Midway) - 6:05 p.m. to 8:02 p.m.

  • Chicago (Midway) - 1:15 p.m. to 1:51 p.m.

  • Nashville - 1:45 p.m. to 4:40 p.m.

  • Pittsburg - 11:50 a.m. to 2:09 p.m.

  • St. Louis - 7:10 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.

My flight for Southwest was delayed. How can I rebook my flight?

Following their apology to those affected, Southwest officials offered advice on how customers can rebook new flights if their travel was affected.

"Customers holding reservations to/from any Southwest destination today (April 18), may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of their original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying any additional charge."

They went on to say that those who purchased their itinerary via their site or mobile app are eligible to reschedule their travel plans online or from their mobile device. Those who did not purchase a ticket online can call 1-800-435-9792 to speak with a representative.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Southwest Airlines sees thousands of delays after stop, including RSW