Alaska Airlines Faces Widespread Disruptions After Major IT Outage
Alaska Airlines experienced a significant IT outage late Thursday, leading to a nationwide ground stop that affected its entire network. The disruption caused hundreds of flight delays and at least 229 cancellations on Thursday, with further cancellations anticipated for Friday as the airline works to recover.
Key Takeaways
- Alaska Airlines experienced a seven-hour IT outage on Thursday, resulting in a nationwide ground stop.
- Over 229 flights were canceled on Thursday, with more than 115 preemptively canceled for Friday.
- The airline has issued a flexible travel waiver for passengers affected by the disruptions.
The Ground Stop and Its Impact
The Seattle-based airline initiated a ground stop for all its flights around 7:21 p.m. EDT on Thursday due to a "significant IT outage." This technical issue impacted both Alaska’s mainline operations and those of its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air. The outage led to extensive delays and cancellations across the country, with major West Coast hubs like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego being particularly affected.
Recovery and Future Disruptions
Operations began to resume around 2:30 a.m. EDT on Friday. However, Alaska Airlines warned that additional disruptions were likely as the airline worked to reposition aircraft and restore its schedule. By Friday morning, the airline had already canceled at least 115 flights, representing about 14% of its network for the day. The airline has encouraged passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Passenger Assistance and Waivers
In response to the widespread disruptions, Alaska Airlines issued a travel waiver. This waiver allows passengers with flights scheduled for Thursday or Friday to rebook their travel for any day between Thursday and Monday without change fees. Passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed are entitled to a refund if they choose not to travel, according to U.S. Department of Transportation policies. Information regarding passenger rights and airline guarantees for disruptions within the airline’s control, such as IT outages, can be found on the DOT’s FlightRights.gov dashboard.
In the aftermath of the outage, Alaska Air Group also postponed its third-quarter earnings call, which had been scheduled for Friday.
