Southwest Software Outage Delays More Than 1,200 Flights; Pensacola and Destin Still Closed After Isaias

October 10, 2026 — A software outage stopped Southwest Airlines from boarding passengers and checking bags on Friday morning, October 9, delaying more than 1,200 flights. The system was back by 12:30 p.m., but the airline is also working around two Florida Panhandle airports that were still closed on Saturday morning after Hurricane Isaias.

What happened

Southwest said the fault was in Amadeus, a third-party platform it uses for boarding and bag check. Dallas radio station KRLD reported the trouble began shortly after 7:00 a.m. local time on Friday, with gate agents processing passengers by hand. Southwest told KERA the software was running again as of 12:30 p.m.

In its statement the airline called it “a brief technology issue” affecting boarding and checked bag functions, said it had been resolved, and asked customers to check flight status before leaving for the airport. It did not give a technical cause. A Dallas aviation department spokesperson described an intermittent internal network outage that affected boarding pass printing and mobile scanning.

Friday, October 9	Figure (FlightAware, via KERA)
Southwest flights delayed	More than 1,200, about 27% of the day’s schedule
Southwest flights cancelled	About 40
Dallas Love Field	About 95 delays and 7 cancellations
System restored	12:30 p.m. Friday, per Southwest

A Southwest spokesperson said the early hour of the failure limited the effect on the rest of the day.

Hurricane Isaias

Isaias came ashore near Destin, Florida, at 8:30 p.m. Central on Friday as a Category 2 hurricane. On Saturday morning, WEAR-TV reported that Pensacola (PNS) and Destin–Fort Walton Beach (VPS) were still closed, while Panama City’s Northwest Florida Beaches (ECP) had reopened to commercial flights. Reopening times for Pensacola and Destin are TBA.

Southwest’s storm advisory covers travel on October 8–10 at Destin–Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola, Panama City Beach and New Orleans. Customers can rebook within 14 days without paying a fare difference.

What it means for non-revs

Expect fuller flights through the weekend. About 40 cancellations and more than 1,200 late flights on Friday left misconnected passengers to be re-accommodated, and they clear ahead of standbys.
Avoid the Panhandle until the airports reopen. Pensacola and Destin had no reopening time on Saturday morning. When flights restart, displaced revenue customers rebooking under the waiver will take the first open seats.
Watch New Orleans and Panama City. Both are in the advisory, so loads there can shift quickly as customers move their trips inside the 14-day window.
List early and keep a backup. Check loads again on the morning of travel; Friday’s numbers show how fast a routine day can change.