“Major IT outage” causes problems for Alaska Airlines travelers

SEATTLE – An IT problem caused “significant disruptions” and a grounding of Alaska Airlines flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday evening, according to the company.

At 10 p.m., the company announced that the problem had been resolved, but that there would continue to be an impact on Alaska Airlines' flight operations and travelers.

“This evening we experienced an IT issue that caused significant disruption to our operations – including delayed flights,” the company told KING 5. “We also requested a ground stop in SEA so we could clear the backlog of aircraft on the ground.”

Several customers reported to the company that they were unable to check in for their flights through the app and website.

One traveler who showed KING 5 a video of long lines at Alaska Airlines' baggage claim counters described the airport as “chaos.” She said the system that prints tickets for checked baggage had broken down.

At around 9 p.m. on Sunday, Alaska Airlines wrote on X that they were experiencing a “significant IT outage.”

About an hour later, the company said the problem was under control.

The airline did not provide any information about the type of IT problem involved in the incident.

“The issue has been resolved, but we still expect an impact to our operations,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. “We sincerely apologize to our affected guests and are working to get all of our guests to their destinations.”

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.