Alaska Airlines Reopens After IT Glitch Disrupts 200 Flights

Sudden IT Outage Causes Major Disruptions for Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines faced a significant disruption on Sunday night when a sudden IT outage forced the airline to ground its entire fleet of aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the airline issued a ground stop around 11 p.m. Eastern Time, impacting over 200 aircraft under the Alaska Airlines brand. Soon after, Horizon Air, a regional carrier operated by Alaska Air Group, was also affected by the suspension.

The Seattle-based airline shared an update on social media at approximately 2 a.m. on Monday, stating that the system-wide ground stop had been lifted and operations were beginning to resume. However, the company warned that the full recovery would take time. “As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal,” the airline said in a statement.

Although the airline did not provide specific details about the nature of the IT failure, it confirmed that the incident occurred around 8 p.m. Pacific Time (0300 GMT on Monday). A statement released early Monday noted, “At approximately 8pm Pacific on Sunday (0300 GMT on Monday), Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that’s impacting our operations. We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights.”

Passengers Left in Confusion and Delays

The sudden halt in operations left many passengers stranded and confused, with some waiting on the tarmac for hours. Travelers at airports across the country, particularly at Denver International Airport, faced prolonged delays. Many reported receiving little information from staff during the ordeal. Some passengers were unable to collect their luggage or secure alternate flights late into the night.

Grant Watts, who was aboard a grounded Alaska Airlines flight in Denver on Sunday night, described the experience as frustrating. “We had been waiting on the tarmac for two hours,” he said. “At about 10:30 p.m., passengers were finally informed that they would have to exit the plane.” Others remained inside grounded planes for hours, awaiting instructions after the initial system failure.

This incident adds to a series of technical issues that Alaska Airlines has faced in recent months. In April 2024, the carrier grounded all of its planes due to a software malfunction in the system used to calculate aircraft weight and balance. That event came shortly after a door panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9—operated by Alaska—blew off mid-flight.

Growing Concerns About Aviation Cybersecurity

This is the second time in just over a year that Alaska Airlines has grounded its fleet due to system issues. The airline’s IT troubles come amid growing concerns about cybersecurity within the global aviation industry.

In June, Hawaiian Airlines, also owned by Alaska Air Group, experienced disruptions after hackers targeted its IT infrastructure. While the airline has not disclosed the financial impact of the attack, it acknowledged ongoing assessments. Tech companies like Google and cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks have recently flagged the aviation sector as a target of the hacker group known as “Scattered Spider.” Other airlines have also suffered digital attacks this year.

WestJet Airlines in Canada dealt with an unspecified cyber incident in June, and Australia’s Qantas faced a massive data breach in July involving millions of customers’ personal details. Meanwhile, Microsoft revealed on Sunday that it had detected “active attacks” on its server software, affecting both government and business systems. It remains unknown whether the Alaska Airlines outage is connected to these attacks. The airline has not responded to inquiries regarding any potential link to the Microsoft incident.

Operational Overview of Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines currently operates a fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft and 87 Embraer 175 jets through Horizon Air. The airline serves over 120 destinations across five countries and provides service to more than 44 million customers annually. Despite the recent IT outage, the airline continues to play a key role in the U.S. aviation landscape, connecting travelers across the nation and beyond.