A system-wide computer failure has forced Southwest Airlines to ground its entire fleet of airplanes preparing for departures, and at least 64 flights had to be cancelled even after service was fully restored hours later, a company spokeswoman said.
Michelle Agnew told The Associated Press that 50 of the cancellations were flights scheduled for late yesterday night departures in the western half of the United States.
The other 14 were today morning flights scattered across the US because crews were not able to get to airports in time to make the scheduled takeoffs.
An estimated 250 flights, most of them on the West Coast, were grounded at least temporarily yesterday night. The glitch impaired the airline's ability to do such things as conduct check-ins, print boarding passes and monitor the weight of each aircraft.
