Alaska Airlines Temporarily Halts Flights Due to IT System Glitch

Alaska Airlines experienced a temporary grounding of its flights Thursday evening due to an IT system outage.

The airline made the announcement at 7:34 p.m. EDT via the social platform X, advising passengers to verify their flight status before making their way to the airport. 

Later, at 10 p.m., Alaska Airlines shared an update on X, stating they were “actively restoring our operations” after the disruption. The Hill has reached out to both Alaska Airlines for further information and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for comments on the situation. 

FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, reported that by late Thursday, 241 flights operated by Alaska Airlines had been delayed, with 44 cancellations. It remains uncertain how many of these disruptions were directly linked to the IT outage.

This incident occurs against a backdrop of difficulties in air travel, aggravated by an ongoing government shutdown. Over the weekend, airports nationwide faced numerous delays due to an insufficient number of air traffic controllers.

Air traffic controllers are working without pay during the shutdown. 

Last month, United Airlines issued a temporary ground stoppage due to a connectivity issue, impacting all of its flights in the U.S. and Canada. That same day, a technical issue impacted maintenance operations for American Airlines.

United in August issued a ground stoppage at major U.S. airports amid a technology issue. As a result, over 1,000 flights were delayed. 

The Associated Press contributed.