Southwest Airlines and American Airlines combined for over 2,000 flight delays across the United States on Friday, October 23, 2026, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware. American Airlines, the dominant carrier at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), had delayed more than 200 flights there by 2:05 p.m., while Southwest had delayed 70 flights at the same time.
American Airlines Vendor Outage Causes Delays
American Airlines confirmed that a vendor issue disrupted customers’ ability to book and check in for flights. The airline stated it was working with its technology provider to resolve the problem as swiftly as possible. The outage persisted until just after 2:30
p.m. when American announced its systems were operating normally again.
Southwest Airlines Delays Unrelated to Vendor Issue
Southwest Airlines reported that its delays were not connected to the same vendor outage affecting American Airlines. Operations at DFW International Airport and Love Field Airport appeared less disrupted by Southwest’s delays. The cause of Southwest’s delays has not been detailed.
American Airlines advised customers traveling on October 23 to arrive at the airport earlier than usual. The airline issued an apology for the inconvenience caused by the vendor outage, emphasizing efforts to minimize disruption.
FlightAware data highlighted the widespread impact on domestic travel schedules across multiple U.S. airports, reflecting
operational challenges faced by both carriers on the same day.
