Passenger on nationwide Southwest departure pause: 'This is the second time we had to go through in five months'

Technical issues caused Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)-based low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines (SWA) to pause its departing flights nationwide on Tuesday, including at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

According to a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, nearly 2,000 SWA delays were confirmed, rehashing poor memories of the company’s Christmastime disaster late last year that stranded thousands of flyers.

KHOU reported that SWA requested the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to halt its morning takeoffs in response to what airline officials said were data connection issues triggered by a firewall failure.

The station reported that the latest debacle to befall SWA wasn’t detrimental to the aircraft and travelers, but the events of four months ago remained crystal clear for those at HOU.

"This is the second time we had to go through in five months," flyer Will Little said in the report. "This is super frustrating. Lock it up. Get it together."

Per the station, the carrier released a statement describing the situation.

“Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost,” the statement read. “Southwest teams worked quickly to minimize flight disruptions."

Citing a social media post by the FAA, Fox Business reported that SWA resumed service a little after 10 a.m. Central time.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted his department was making sure SWA passengers were receiving the proper amount of support and assistance from the airline, Fox Business reported. 

“Any customer not getting the accommodations or refunds they are owed should notify us through our website, and we'll follow up,” Buttigieg wrote. 

Earlier this year, Houston Daily reported, an FAA computer failure grounded flights across the nation, including those at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). About 5,000 flights were delayed while 900 others were cancelled, the publication reported, citing the Associated Press (AP). 

SWA was projected to incur losses of at least $800 million because of the holiday travel crisis.