Technical glitches prompt Southwest Airlines flight problems

Southwest Airlines says computer problems delayed or canceled flights in and out of airports in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, but they’ve been resolved.

Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish says Friday afternoon’s problems at LAX lasted about 3 ½ hours. He says gate systems and lobby check-in systems were affected.

The cause is under investigation.

Parrish says a separate problem affected flights at Austin’s airport.

The problems sparked angry tweets from passengers whose flights were delayed or canceled.

The Dallas-based airline had more delayed flights Friday – nearly 500 by early evening – than any other U.S. carrier, according to tracking service FlightAware.

However, it’s unclear how many of those delays were due to the technical problems.