ALASKA Airlines was forced to ground all planes across the US on Thursday after being hit by an IT outage.
It’s the second time in three months that the carrier has been forced to halt all operations.
The outage has since sparked widespread travel chaos across the US.
More than 200 Alaska Airlines flights were delayed on Thursday, and more than 100 canceled, according to FlightAware data.
More than 300 flights heading out of Dallas and Chicago were delayed.
Over 140 planes jetting out of Seattle airport were delayed, according to FlightAware.
Federal aviation chiefs issued a ground stop for Alaska Airlines’ entire fleet just after 7:30pm local time on Thursday.
Passengers in Seattle airport were seen lounging on their suitcases in the terminal as they waited for information.
Luggage was piling up in the airport’s baggage reclaim area.
Airport staffers had to check labels to reunite passengers with their bags.
Others managed to get onto their planes but were left sitting on the tarmac.
Pilots told passengers on board jets they would be taking off but planes didn’t move.
“They were like, okay, we’re going to be taking off, it’s an hour fifty-eight to Burbank, and then we didn’t move,” Wilder McCullough, who was heading to California, told KOMO-TV.
Travelers in Austin, Texas, said gates were jammed, as reported by CNN.
Airline bosses have since spoken out and have apologized for any disruption.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” the carrier posted on X.
Alaska Airlines statement
ALASKA Airlines has issued a statement after an IT outage grounded all flights on Thursday.
“An IT outage has affected our operations and has resulted in cancellations of some of our flights this evening and into tomorrow,” the carrier said.
“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 support guests.”
Source: X
“If you’re scheduled to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport.”
Some travelers opted not to rebook canceled flights and decided to drive 16 hours to reach their destinations, as per the NBC affiliate KING-TV.
The outage is not a cyberattack and services are gradually being restored.
Passengers have been warned to expect delays on Friday.
Alaska Airlines was hit with an IT outage in July, which also sparked widespread chaos.
The airline is the fifth largest in the US, with a fleet of more than 200 planes.
Meanwhile, the government shutdown is now in its third week.
Federal officials have warned passengers to expect delays at airport security checkpoints.
Transportation Security Administration staffers are considered essential workers but they are not being paid as it stands.