Pensacola and Destin Airports Reopen After Isaias; Southwest 737 MAX Towed Back in Las Vegas After Gear Smoke

October 11, 2026 — Update: Pensacola and Destin–Fort Walton Beach airports have both reopened after Hurricane Isaias, restoring two Southwest Airlines stations on the Florida Panhandle. Separately, a Southwest Boeing 737 MAX 8 was towed back to the gate in Las Vegas after other pilots reported heavy smoke from its landing gear.

Panhandle airports reopen

When we reported yesterday, both airports were still closed. That has changed:

Pensacola officials said the airport is “back open and operational for regularly scheduled commercial service,” FOX10 reported. Destin–Fort Walton Beach said it is still restoring critical systems and that flight schedules have changed, so travelers should confirm with their airline. Neither airport named the first flights to operate.

ADVERTISEMENT

Smoke from landing gear in Las Vegas

Southwest flight WN759 from Las Vegas (LAS) to Chicago Midway (MDW) was taxiing for departure on Friday when the crew of another Southwest flight, WN334, told controllers they saw heavy smoke from its right main landing gear and asked for fire trucks. They also reported brake material and a trail of fluid on the taxiway, according to Aviation A2Z.

The aircraft never reached the runway. It was towed back and passengers moved to a replacement aircraft, which left at 4:44 p.m. against a scheduled 12:15 p.m. and reached Midway at 9:40 p.m., almost four hours late. No injuries were reported.

Southwest told KSNV News 3 there were no reports of a fire and that it was looking at a possible hydraulic issue. The cause has not been established, and neither the FAA nor the NTSB had commented.

Friday’s outage: no cause yet

Southwest has still not given a detailed cause for the October 9 software outage. Texas Public Radio reported that the affected baggage and boarding software was restored by 12:30 p.m. that day, with more than 1,200 delays and about 40 cancellations.

What it means for travelers

• Pensacola and Destin are open again, but expect full flights for several days as three days of cancelled passengers are rebooked. Schedules at VPS are still changing.
• American’s Isaias waiver required changes to be made by October 11, so most rebooking demand should be in the system by Monday.
• Las Vegas–Midway ran a replacement aircraft the same day, so there is no lasting effect on the route.
• Southwest’s systems have been stable since Friday afternoon, but leave extra time if you are connecting until the airline explains what failed.

Sources

• FOX10 (WALA) — ISAIAS: Pensacola International Airport re-opens
• Get The Coast — Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport reopens after Hurricane Isaias
• Aviation A2Z — Southwest Boeing 737 MAX 8 Aborts Departure After Pilots Report Smoke and Possible Fire
• Texas Public Radio — More than 1,200 Southwest Airlines flights delayed after software outage
• American Airlines — Travel alerts