Southwest Airlines was not affected after the outage, Here is the reason

Southwest Airlines recently found itself in the spotlight for an unexpected reason: its computer systems remained largely unaffected by the widespread CrowdStrike/Microsoft outage that disrupted numerous airlines and caused significant delays across the aviation industry.

As other major carriers struggled with cancellations and delays, Southwest’s systems continued to operate smoothly, raising questions about how the airline managed to escape the chaos.

The key to Southwest’s unaffected status lies in the unique and rather outdated state of its operating systems. While many airlines have embraced newer technologies and operating systems, Southwest has maintained a significant portion of its computer infrastructure on Windows 3.1, a version of Microsoft’s operating software that dates back over three decades.

This older system, so long considered obsolete by most standards, turned out to be an unexpected asset in this particular scenario. The CrowdStrike/Microsoft outage, which impacted a substantial portion of the aviation industry, primarily affected systems running more recent versions of Windows and related software.

As a result, Southwest’s older systems, which do not interface with the same modern software frameworks, were immune to the disruptions caused by the outage. This anomaly allowed Southwest to continue its operations with minimal interference, while other airlines faced considerable operational challenges.

On the day of the outage, which saw airlines across the United States cancel approximately 3,675 flights—about 14% of the total scheduled flights—Southwest stood out as an exception. The airline managed to cancel only three of its 4,390 departures.

In contrast, major carriers like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines experienced significant disruptions, with cancellations and delays affecting thousands of flights. Furthermore, 94% of Southwest flights departed within an hour of their scheduled times, showcasing the airline’s operational resilience amidst the broader turmoil.

Southwest Airlines, when contacted, offered a brief statement acknowledging that the outage did not directly affect their operations. They encouraged customers to check their flight status regularly as the overall aviation system continued to recover.