Alaska Airlines flights have been grounded across the United States following an “IT outage,” the second such incident this year. The Federal Aviation Authority issued a temporary ground stop on Thursday evening as the glitch affected the Seattle-based carrier.
The airline confirmed the disruption on social media, stating: “Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting operations. A temporary ground stop is in place. We apologise for the inconvenience.” Passengers were advised to check flight status before heading to the airport. FlightRadar24 reported 100 fewer Alaska Airlines planes in the air compared to a week earlier, cautioning that while some flights were departing, delays would persist.
Passengers voiced frustrations online, with many reporting being stuck on aircraft for two hours. One traveller at New Orleans noted a pilot’s estimate of at least another hour for an update. Another at Austin described reaching the two-hour mark, with passengers given the option to disembark. The airline apologised, saying its IT team was working to resolve the error as soon as possible.
Alaska Airlines also operates Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines. Separately on Thursday, three major US airports—Ronald Reagan Washington National, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty—issued ground stops due to staffing shortages related to the government shutdown.
