Alaska Airlines Temporarily Grounds Flights Amid IT System Failure

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Alaska Airlines grounded its entire mainline and Horizon Air fleet on Sunday due to a system-wide information technology (IT) outage, temporarily halting travel across the country and straining operations into the evening.

The airline requested a ground stop through the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which confirmed all destinations served by Alaska Airlines were impacted. A company spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that the IT outage disrupted flight operations, prompting the request to pause departures until the issue was resolved.

In a public statement, Alaska Airlines apologized for the disruption and urged passengers to check flight updates before arriving at the airport. “We apologize to our guests for this inconvenience,” the airline said, adding that delays and other residual effects were expected throughout the evening.

The situation sparked backlash online, with customers expressing frustration over poor communication and long waits. One user on social platform X (formerly Twitter), Caleb Heimlich, commented, “This is brutal. We’ve been sitting at the airport for two hours.” Another, under the name BetterDays, criticized the airline’s delay in public acknowledgment, writing: “This started at 8 pm & you’re just posting this now?!”

This incident comes amid lingering concerns about Alaska Airlines’ operational reliability. In January 2024, a door plug from a newly delivered Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft detached mid-flight between Portland, Oregon, and Ontario, California, causing rapid cabin depressurization. Thankfully, all 171 passengers and six crew members survived. That event prompted the FAA to ground several Boeing 737-9 aircraft, and later investigations found Boeing failed to adequately train manufacturing staff, highlighting broader concerns about aviation industry oversight.

Alaska Air Group operates a fleet of 325 aircraft, consisting of 238 Boeing 737 jets and 87 Embraer 175 regional aircraft. While the airline did not provide further details about the cause of the IT failure, officials said they were working to restore systems and minimize disruption.

As of Sunday evening, the FAA had not issued additional statements, and Alaska Airlines continued efforts to stabilize operations heading into the new week.