On Thursday afternoon, Alaska Airlines experienced a large-scale IT failure that triggered a complete ground stop. The disruption began around 3:30 pm Pacific Time when a breakdown at the carrier’s primary data-center halted key operational systems. It was not a cyberattack, the airline confirmed, but a hardware failure that affected scheduling, movement of aircraft, crew coordination and other core functions.
Ground Stop and Flight Cancellations
The ground stop lasted until roughly 11:30 pm Pacific, during which all flights by Alaska Airlines and regional affiliate Horizon Air were suspended. The company later reported at least 229 flight cancellations and warned that further disruption was likely as it works to reposition planes and crews.
Passengers across the U.S. were left stranded—particularly at hubs such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport—facing long waits and scattered updates.
What Caused the Outage?
Alaska Airlines has attributed the event to a failure in its primary data centre, which supports mission-critical systems such as flight scheduling, crew deployment and aircraft positioning. The carrier emphasized that flight safety was never compromised and that no cyberattack was involved.
This incident comes just months after a similar IT outage in July 2025 that forced a three-hour grounding of flights. That repetition highlights how vulnerable modern airline operations remain to technical faults, not just weather or air-traffic issues.
Impact on Passengers
Stranded travellers reported long queues, busy terminals and limited communication about flight status. The airline acknowledged that customer-service teams were under heavy pressure and urged travellers to check the latest status of their flights before heading to the airport.
A flexible travel policy is now in place: affected passengers can seek rebooking on alternate flights or full refunds if needed. Frequent-flyer programme activity also may face residual delays, though no widespread account issues have been reported so far.
Air Traffic Authority Response
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop advisory after the airline requested it, and later lifted the advisory once operations resumed. Despite the official lift, Alaska Airlines cautions that service is not yet fully normalised. Aircraft and crews must be repositioned across its network, which means some delays and cancellations may continue into the coming days.
Historical Context and Risks
Alaska Airlines has a history of operational disruption tied to technology, including the July 2025 outage and a serious aircraft incident in January 2024 involving a door-plug blowout mid-flight (not directly related to IT). These make this latest event more than a one-off: it signals persistent operational stress in an industry heavily dependent on digital systems.
For the airline, the business implications are already mounting. The parent company has revised profit expectations downward, citing rising fuel costs alongside operational challenges.
What Travellers Should Know Now
- Check your flight status: Even though operations have resumed, many routes may remain affected by cascading delays.
- Flexible options available: If your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed, you can rebook or take a refund under the airline’s flexible policy.
- Expect longer wait times: At check-in, boarding and customer-service desks, delays may persist as staff catch up and reposition aircraft.
- Frequent-flyer activity: While the rewards system appears unaffected en-masse, any account issues should be raised directly with the airline.
Broader Industry Implications
This incident underscores how tightly modern aviation is tied to IT systems. Scheduling, baggage management, crew tracking, aircraft turnarounds—all rely on digital infrastructure. The ripple effects from a single point of failure can spread across the network and leave thousands of passengers disrupted.
For Alaska Airlines, the repeated outages raise questions about resilience and system back-ups. For travellers, the clear message is: even if your airline is cleared “operational”, hidden ripples may still affect your trip.
Conclusion
Alaska Airlines’ operations have officially resumed, but normal service is still some way off. The airline’s commitment to repositioning crews and aircraft suggests full recovery may stretch through the next day or more.
For travellers flying with Alaska Airlines—or any major carrier—this event serves as a reminder: always monitor flight status, allow extra time for disruptions and remain flexible, especially in an era where tech issues can ground an entire fleet.
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