DENVER -- Hours after a system glitch caused Southwest Airlines flights to be grounded at Denver International Airport (DIA), travelers were still frustrated due to the massive lines, cancelations and delays which left them stranded late Wednesday evening.
The nationwide glitch was resolved locally at DIA at around 5 p.m., a tweet sent by DIA officials stated.
Southwest Airlines flights moving as normal again following technical problem. Please check your SWA flight status as delays are possible
— Denver Int'l Airport (@DENAirport) July 20, 2016
At about 7:40 p.m., DIA started alerting travelers that the airline was experiencing cancelations and delays due to the glitch.
Due to technical issues earlier today, Southwest Airlines is experiencing delays and cancellations tonight. Please check your flight status
— Denver Int'l Airport (@DENAirport) July 21, 2016
Two hours later, at around 9:30 p.m., the official Southwest Airlines Twitter account then shared a video apologizing for leaving thousands stranded at airports nationwide.
Here's an update on today's technical challenges and how we're approaching the beginning of the day tomorrow.https://t.co/u436CZaujl
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) July 21, 2016
Workers at the ticket counters were unable to print tickets during computer outages, according to Heath Montgomery, a spokesman for DIA.
Customers began reporting issues in the early afternoon to the company on Twitter, to which Southwest Airlines announced it did experience performance issues.
"Southwest Airlines began experiencing intermittent performance issues earlier this afternoon with multiple technology systems as a result of an outage," a Southwest representative said to Denver7. "We are now managing flight delays across our system, with a temporary ground stop in place for those flights that have not left the gate."
Officials said they're working towards a permanent fix that will restore their systems across the nation. All further updates to the media portal of their website.
Southwest Airlines is the Number 2 carrier at DIA in terms of traffic after United Airlines, according to Denver7 reporter Marc Stewart.
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