On October 23, 2026, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines together accounted for more than 2,000 flight delays across U.S. airports, according to data from FlightAware. Over 1,400 of these delays were attributed to the two carriers nationwide on that day.
American Airlines Vendor Technology Outage Causes Delays
American Airlines faced a vendor-related technology failure that disrupted customer booking and check-in capabilities. The airline confirmed that the outage affected its systems and stated, “A vendor issue is affecting some customers’ ability to book and check in for flights.” Operations were hampered until just after 2:30 p.m. when American Airlines issued an update confirming the resolution and that their
systems “are now operating normally.” The airline added it worked closely with the technology provider to resolve the issue swiftly.
Delays Concentrated at Dallas Airports; Southwest Delays Unrelated
At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), American Airlines—its dominant carrier—reported over 200 delayed flights as of 2:05 p.m. Southwest Airlines had about 70 flights delayed at the same time. Southwest clarified that its delays were unrelated to the technology outage affecting American. Flight operations at both DFW and Dallas Love Field Airport were less affected for Southwest Airlines.
American Airlines advised travelers to arrive early due to ongoing delays. The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused. Southwest Airlines did not
specify the cause of its delays but confirmed the issues were separate from American’s technology problems.
