A significant IT system failure at Alaska Airlines triggered widespread travel chaos on Wednesday, forcing the carrier to ground numerous flights and leaving passengers facing extensive delays and cancellations.
The technical meltdown, described by the airline as an "issue with the system that calculates our weight and balance," began in the early hours and rapidly escalated into a major operational crisis. This critical system is essential for ensuring aircraft safety and proper loading before takeoff.
Passenger Frustration Mounts at Airports
Across multiple airports, frustrated travellers found themselves stranded at gates as the airline implemented a ground stop on all Alaska Airlines mainline flights. Social media platforms were flooded with images and complaints from affected passengers, many of whom reported being given minimal information about the unfolding situation.
"We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," an Alaska Airlines representative stated during the outage. "We understand the frustration this is causing our guests and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience."
Safety First Approach Amid System Failure
The airline emphasised that the decision to halt flights was taken as a precautionary safety measure. Without access to the automated weight and balance system, flight crews were unable to obtain the necessary data to ensure aircraft were properly configured for safe departure.
While some regional flights operated by Horizon Air and SkyWest continued with certain restrictions, the mainline operations remained severely impacted throughout the morning, creating a ripple effect across the airline's entire network.
Gradual Resumption of Services
After several hours of disruption, Alaska Airlines began gradually restoring its flight operations. The carrier confirmed that its IT teams had successfully implemented a fix for the system issue, allowing the weight and balance calculations to resume normally.
However, the airline warned passengers to expect ongoing residual delays and potential further cancellations as they worked to clear the backlog of affected flights and reposition aircraft and crew.
Travel experts suggest that such technical failures highlight the vulnerability of modern airline operations to IT system disruptions, with even brief outages capable of causing days of travel disruption across entire networks.
