Southwest Cancels More Flights At Bay Area Airports Over Glitch
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Southwest Airlines has canceled hundreds more flights Friday as the company works to restore service after a technology glitch Wednesday that affected flights in Bay Area airports.
About 300 flights had been canceled as of Friday morning mainly because flight crews have been displaced as a result of the technology problem.
Numerous departures and arrivals have been canceled at Oakland International Airport and Mineta San Jose International Airport with just a couple of cancellations at San Francisco International Airport as of 11:30 a.m. Friday.
The glitch has been repaired and airline officials are working to restore the network of operations that includes not only technology but the scheduling of flights and crew.
Senior Director of Network Operations Control Steve West said that the scale and scope of this problem is not something Southwest Airlines has experience in many years.
"This is impacting people coast to coast," West said.
Southwest officials said hold times on the phone for people wanting to reschedule a flight are longer than average.
But a Southwest employee will be contacting anyone affected by Wednesday's glitch, Southwest officials said.
About 80 people spent Wednesday night in Mineta San Jose International Airport because of the problem, airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said.
Southwest officials are giving travelers who have tickets for flights departing between Wednesday and this Tuesday a chance to rebook their travel at no cost and at the original fare. The offer is good for two weeks.
Customers traveling Friday should check the status of their flight on Southwest.com.
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