Computers are essential to the operations of airlines. And Wednesday afternoon, a glitch at Southwest Airlines grounded departures across the country, including at Tampa International Airport.
"What it's doing is it's preventing any planes from flying. Southwest, just like every other airline relies on computers to schedule flights, to tell planes where to go, so any departures are grounded right now," said airport spokeswoman Emily Nipps.
She said Southwest had hoped to get those planes off the ground again by 5 p.m. But she wasn't sure that was going to happen.
Her advice to anyone holding a ticket on a Southwest flight for Wednesday (July 20), is to call the airline or check the flight online to see if it's departing on time.
