SEATTLE: Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded all its flights across the United States on Thursday following a widespread IT outage that disrupted the carrier’s operations. The suspension also extended to Horizon Air, the airline’s regional subsidiary, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory.
The FAA said the ground stop was requested for 1 hour and 10 minutes, ending at 0000 GMT, as Alaska Airlines worked to resolve the technical issue.
In a statement released on social media, the airline confirmed:
“Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting operations. A temporary ground stop is in place. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
The company also responded to multiple passenger complaints online, explaining that its systems were down but that its IT teams were “working to get this resolved as soon as possible,” according to Reuters.
Notably, flights departing from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the airline’s primary hub, were reportedly unaffected by the outage.
This marks the second major IT disruption for Alaska Airlines this year. The carrier, which also operates Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air, serves 140 destinations across 37 U.S. states and 12 countries, making it one of the largest airlines in the nation.
CBS News reported that the FAA is seeking clarification on the extent of the impact on Alaska’s subsidiaries.
The latest disruption comes amid broader challenges for U.S. air travel following the government shutdown earlier this month, which has led to air traffic controller shortages and increased flight delays across several airports nationwide.
