Alaska Airlines grounds flights after major IT outage
What's the story
Alaska Airlines has announced a temporary suspension of its flights due to an information technology (IT) outage. The airline took to the social media platform X to inform about the disruption, saying it has imposed a "temporary ground stop." Passengers scheduled to fly on the night of October 24 have been advised to check their flight status before heading out.
Operational disruption
Hawaiian Airlines continues to operate flights
The IT outage has affected operations for both Alaska Airlines and its regional partner, Horizon Air. However, Hawaiian Airlines, which was acquired by the Alaska Air Group last year, has confirmed that its flights are operating as scheduled despite the disruption affecting its parent company's network. This is not the first time technology disruption has affected Alaska Airlines' operations.
Recurring issues
Recurrent IT-related disruptions in airline industry
The airline industry has witnessed recurrent IT-related disruptions, albeit mostly temporary. Just recently, on October 19, Air India had to schedule an additional flight from Milan to Delhi after a technical issue canceled the original flight. In August this year, United Airlines also faced major operational disruptions due to a technology issue that forced a temporary ground stop at multiple US airports and caused widespread delays across its network.
Regulatory response
FAA issues temporary ground stop for Alaska Airlines
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary ground stop for Alaska Airlines and its subsidiary Horizon Air. The advisory was requested for a period of 1 hour and 10 minutes ending at 0000 GMT. In response to customer concerns on social media, Alaska Airlines acknowledged the issue with its system and assured that its IT team is working to resolve it as soon as possible.
Network impact
Alaska Airlines is one of the largest US carriers
Alaska Airlines is one of the largest US carriers with a global network covering 140 destinations in 37 states and 12 countries. The latest FAA advisory confirmed that flights departing from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were not affected by the IT outage. However, this incident raises concerns about potential future disruptions in air travel due to unforeseen circumstances.
Twitter Post
IT outage continues to affect operations
An IT outage has affected our operations and has resulted in cancellations of some of our flights this evening and into tomorrow. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask that you check your flight status before heading to the airport. A flexible travel policy is in place to… https://t.co/zfmlZPAc8o
— Alaska Airlines (@AlaskaAir) October 24, 2025