Southwest Airlines passengers were shaken when their plane suddenly dropped to avoid a collision. Flight 1496 had been flying for about six minutes after departing Hollywood Burbank Airport in California en route to Las Vegas when it descended several hundred feet within seconds to avoid a midair crash on July 25.

The Southwest flight 1496 to Las Vegas swiftly descended to avoid a midair collision after takeoff from Burbank.

Alarms sounded in the cockpit of a Southwest Airlines jet shortly after taking off from Hollywood Burbank airport near Los Angeles on Friday, prompting evasive maneuvers, the airline said in a statement.

Two attendants were hurt on Friday during an emergency maneuver on a Southwest flight departing Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Southwest Airlines, the busiest commercial air carrier serving Harry Reid International Airport, announced this month the largest number of flights in and out of Las Vegas in the airline’s history.

Southwest Airlines will switch to assigned seats on Jan. 27, 2026, the airline announced. Seat assignments will go on sale July 29, 2025.

The passenger jet was responding to an alert of another aircraft in the vicinity, federal authorities said. A Cold War-era military plane was nearby at the time.