American Airlines and Southwest Airlines together accounted for more than 2,000 flight delays nationwide on Friday, October 23, 2026, according to flight tracking data and airline reports.
As of 2:05 p.m. local time, American Airlines had delayed over 200 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where it is the dominant carrier. Southwest Airlines reported 70 flight delays across DFW and Dallas Love Field airports during the same time frame.
The delays experienced by American Airlines stemmed from a vendor outage that disrupted booking and check-in systems for some customers. Southwest Airlines confirmed its flight delays were unrelated to the
technology issue that impacted American. The vendor outage affected American Airlines’ operational systems nationally.
American Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the vendor issue, saying, “A vendor issue is affecting some customers’ ability to book and check in for flights.” The airline added, “We’re working with the technology provider to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Customers traveling today should plan to arrive at the airport early. We apologize for the inconvenience.” Shortly after 2:30 p.m., American Airlines confirmed the problem was resolved and all systems were operating normally.
Travelers scheduled to fly on October 23, 2026, particularly those on
American Airlines at DFW Airport, faced longer wait times due to these delays and were advised to arrive early. Systems restored to normal operation by early afternoon helped ease ongoing disruptions.
