Alaska Airlines had to ground all of its flights on Sunday as a result of an IT system failure, the carrier confirmed later in the day. While the problem was at first unclear, the Seattle-based carrier explained that technical disruptions in its internal systems led to the unprecedented move of shutting down operations.
The ground stop, called for all majorline planes, was verified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Alaska Airlines has a fleet of 325 aircraft, with 238 of them being Boeing 737s and 87 Embraer 175s. All of these aircraft were affected by the short-term suspension.
The IT failure had ripple effects at major American airports, with delays noted in several places. The FAA said the following airports were displaying ground stop or delay programs because of the disruption:
- San Francisco International Airport
- Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- Orlando International Airport
- Tampa International Airport
- Miami International Airport
- Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport
- Palm Beach International Airport
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport
- Denver International Airport
“Alaska Airlines cancelled all its flights following an IT outage on Sunday that affected its systems,” the airline stated. The firm did not disclose the cause or type of the outage but confirmed it was making efforts to resume operations.”
The airline also cautioned that the residual cancellations and delays would probably persist into the evening. “There would be residual effects to its operations throughout the evening,” it said, giving no further details.
The outage comes after a June incident in which Alaska Air Group-owned Hawaiian Airlines saw operations disrupted by a cyberattack. Although it is not known whether the two events are related, Alaska Air Group has since said that it is continuing to evaluate the financial impact of the previous breach.
As flights resume gradually, travelers are encouraged to contact the airline for information on delays and rebooking.
