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‘Worst experience I’ve had’: Several flights canceled, delayed at OIA due to Southwest Airlines system issues

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of passengers at Orlando International Airport were impacted by disruptions due to Southwest Airlines’ network issues.

The company said a computer-related issue interfered with flights on Tuesday.

Flights across the country were canceled and delayed because of the issue.

READ: System issues temporarily ground Southwest Airlines planes across US

A woman told Channel 9′s Christy Turner that she has been stuck at the airport since noon Tuesday due to the system issues.

Another couple called it a travel nightmare.

Sonda Selle and Brian Selle said their Southwest flight from St. Louis was canceled. They said they were able to get on another flight but they even had issues with that.

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“It go delayed and delayed and delayed,” the couple said. “We finally made it here at 3 o’clock in the morning.”

The couple said it was their first time flying since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s probably the worst experience I’ve had.”

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About 500 flights were canceled and nearly 1,300 were delayed nationwide, according to tracking service Flight Aware.

Channel 9 checked Wednesday’s departing flight board out of Orlando International and saw several Southwest Flights are already delayed and five were cancelled, but it’s unclear if it is tied to the glitch.

If you plan on flying with Southwest, you’ll want to check your flight status before you head to the airport.



Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.

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