Alaska Airlines Grounds SEA Flights Amid IT Outage

DALLAS — Alaska Airlines (AS) experienced a major IT outage on Sunday, September 22, 2024, causing widespread flight delays and prompting the airline to impose a temporary ground stop at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). 

The issue, described as a "certificate problem," affected several internal systems, leading to significant disruptions beyond Seattle, including flights from San Francisco and Portland. 

The airline first reported the problem around 8 p.m. PT, responding to customer inquiries on X (formerly Twitter). By 10 p.m., AS confirmed the issue had been resolved but warned of lingering operational delays. Passengers using the airline’s app and mobile check-in services also reported difficulties.

The airline clarified that the outage was unrelated to a cyberattack, alleviating concerns about unauthorized interference.

This is not the first time AS has faced technology-related problems, with previous incidents occurring in 2011 and 2012 and a nationwide grounding due to a system malfunction in April.

Alaska Airlines has apologized to its affected passengers and is working to restore normal operations.