Southwest didn’t heed calls to upgrade tech before meltdown, unions say

Southwest Airlines’ pilot and flight attendant unions warned for years that the company’s rickety computer systems left the airline vulnerable. The carrier stuck with outdated technology and never heeded those warnings, they say.

Southwest’s overwhelmed technology — a scenario fueled by a punishing winter storm — left it this week facing some of the most difficult days in its half-century history, in some cases forcing managers to solve problems with pen and paper while crew members wait on hold for hours with schedulers.