Windows 3.1 Saved Southwest Airlines

When a global IT outage occurred on July 19 this year, it wreaked havoc at airports, causing hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights. Millions of computers displayed BSoD (blue screen of death) screens. However, Southwest Airlines, the fourth-largest airline in the United States, was least affected by the problematic CrowdStrike update. That’s because the carrier still uses the Windows 3.1 operating system.

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Fortunately, the update did not negatively impact the aircraft’s safety systems. Southwest has often been criticized for its archaic solutions, but its old and proven operating system saved them (and their customers) from the stress that passengers at most other airlines experienced. However, Southwest customers were not 100 percent immune from the problems caused by CrowdStrike, as the airports the carrier flies to were affected.

In addition to Windows 3.1, Southwest also uses Windows 95. Many airline employees have complained about this, but the global CrowdStrike outage may discourage the carrier from switching to another system. On the other hand, computers are aging and need to be replaced, so the airline may need to upgrade its systems soon. Regardless of the circumstances, Southwest’s use of outdated technology saved the airline when much of the world, which relied on newer systems, suffered a major IT outage. Windows 3.1, released in 1992, has not been updated by its manufacturer for many years, which protected it from the impact of CrowdStrike.

It should be noted that in the US many users are very conservative in regard to software and hardware. For example, during the servicing of some Boeing-747s, the software in its control systems is still loaded from 3.5″ floppy disks. In total, about 40 of them are required.